CROWN POINT | A convicted violent felon escaped Lake County Community Corrections this week, marking the alternative sentencing program's third escape in less than two weeks, court records state.

An arrest warrant was pending Friday for Rogerick Denham, who also goes by Roderick Denham, Lake Criminal Court records show. He is charged with failure to return to lawful detention after he left the state-funded minimum security facility for felons earlier in the week by telling officials he was going to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to take a driving test, court records state.

Denham called once to tell officers the BMV had a long line, and he wouldn't be back by noon, then disappeared, court records state. The officer who called the BMV at 1:30 p.m. was told Denham had never signed in and was not there.

The 23-year-old was still at large as of Friday night, said Mike Higgins, spokesman for the Lake County Sheriff's Department.

Denham is the fifth person charged in Lake County with escape or failure to return to lawful detention in two weeks, court records show.

Mark Murphy, director of operations for Community Corrections, could not be reached for comment Friday regarding the case.

The escape of inmates and criminal suspects is a mounting trend in Lake County.

At least 110 people have been charged with either felony escape or failure to return to lawful detention since 2004, records provided by the county show.

Of the latest cases to make their way into Lake County Criminal Court, two originated in Hammond and three came out of the county's Community Corrections program.

But Denham is the only violent felon to secure escape during that period.

He was convicted in 2005 of voluntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of Deondrea Hunter, 25, of Gary, court records show.

Denham had a confrontation with Hunter on March 21, 2003, in the 300 block of Fillmore Street in Gary, left and then returned minutes later with a handgun, shooting Hunter in the eye, court records state.

He originally was charged with murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser felony charge minutes before his jury trial was set to begin.

Lake Criminal Court Judge Clarence Murray sentenced Denham to 20 years in prison, court records show. But the judge issued an order March 13 to transfer Denham into the Community Corrections minimum security program to serve the remainder of his sentence.

The court records cite Denham's "substantial progress" as the reason for his release into the program.