Bee County Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information that could lead to the arrest of Duane Phillip Ranthum.

The 50-year-old fugitive escaped from the Live Oak County Jail in George West on Dec. 24 and area law enforcement officers have been searching for him since.

Ranthum is considered an habitual felony offender and is considered a threat to public safety.

The fugitive had three felony convictions at the end of last year. On Oct. 21, he was convicted by a jury of evading arrest with a vehicle and received a 35-year prison sentence for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with an incident in which he tried to run down a former employer.

On Nov. 12, Ranthum was convicted of aggravated perjury and sentenced to a five-years in prison, to run concurrently.

Ranthum moved from Wisconsin to Bee County in May 2007. He had served two prison terms in Wisconsin in 1982 and in 1999 before moving to Texas. He had been arrested twice here on misdemeanor charges within a month of his arrival.

Ranthum is described as having reddish hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He has a scar on his left forearm.

The fugitive’s criminal record includes 11 felony charges and 19 misdemeanors.