Shackled prisoner escapes in vehicle

February 28, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

LEWISBERRY, Pa. (AP) — A manhunt is in progress for a south- central Pennsylvania prisoner who managed to get control of a constable’s vehicle and drive away.

He is 37-year-old Erik Anthony Peterson of Wormleysburg. He was being taken to a preliminary hearing in Lewisberry when he escaped Friday morning. The constable was left behind.

Fairview Township Police Chief Bernard Dugan says Peterson isn’t believed to be armed, but he’s considered dangerous.

Peterson was wearing handcuffs, leg shackles and an orange York County Prison jumpsuit at the time of his escape. The vehicle, a 2007 Ford Freestyle, had keys for the locks. He was last seen driving south on Interstate 83 and may have crossed into Maryland.