Lincoln man sentenced to prison for escaping federal facility in Kearney

LINCOLN, Neb. -- A 46-year-old Lincoln man will face 18 months in federal custody after escaping a federal halfway house in Kearney.

U.S. Attorney Steven Russell said Thursday that Aaron Jason Burkholder was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard. Following his release from prison, Burkholder will serve three years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

Burkholder faced up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on his conviction.

In December of 2021, Burkholder was serving a prior federal sentence for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. He was transferred from the Federal Bureau of Prisons to a Residential Reentry Center in Kearney to finish serving the remainder of his sentence and was scheduled for release in November of 2022. 

However, on June 28, 2022, Burkholder escaped from the custody of the RRC by cutting off his GPS ankle monitor after being ordered to return to the RRC due to rules violations. 

Attempts by RRC staff to contact Burkholder were unsuccessful and he was placed on escape status. He was arrested on a federal warrant on October 18, 2022. 

Burkholder’s RRC placement on his previous federal sentence was revoked, and he is scheduled to complete his sentence with the Bureau of Prisons on that sentence in April of 2024.

The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service.