ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A manhunt is underway in the St. Louis region for Tommy Wayne Boyd, a prisoner who escaped from custody Thursday morning at Mercy South Hospital and considered a “dangerous” person by authorities.

Before his escape, Tommy Wayne Boyd was imprisoned at the Missouri Department of Corrections site in Potosi, Missouri. Authorities say Boyd is a convicted child sex offender.

According to Missouri court records, Boyd has conviction in two cases, initially investigated in 1996 and 2007.

A jury convicted him of enticement of a child in November 2007, and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison over that charge. Court records linked both of his cases to Greene County, Missouri, in the Springfield metropolitan area.

Boyd is also listed in the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s sex offender registry list as a Tier Level 3 offender, a designation that is only given to people convicted of sex offenses that “pose a significant risk to public safety.” These designations may come from crimes such as rape, sexual assault, child molestation, or repeat offenses.

Boyd is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and around 154 pounds with balding hair and a beard. He was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, a black jacket, and orange slippers. There has been an intense search in south St. Louis County and St. Louis City for Boyd as the day has unfolded.

“The suspect is a dangerous person, but we’ve brought in the resources needed,” said St. Louis County Lt. Clnl. Jason Long. “If anybody sees this suspect, call 911. Let us know the location, but do not approach the suspect. But I want you to know that we have brought in all the resources needed to respond immediately and effectively.”

U.S. Marshals have joined the St. Louis County Police Department, in addition to several other local and state authorities, in the search for Boyd.

If you have any information on his whereabouts, contact 911 or your nearest law enforcement agency.