Inmate escapes from Cedar Rapids hospital room

Police are looking for a Cedar Rapids man who escaped from his hospital room this morning.

Kevin Houser was reported missing from his Mercy Medical Center room by hospital staffers at 8:50 a.m. today, according to the Linn County Sheriff's Office. He had been missing for about 20 minutes, hospital workers said.

Houser was brought to the Linn County Jail Tuesday for a probation violation, and was taken to Mercy Wednesday morning for treatment of medical issues. He was admitted to the hospital, and a hold was issued by the sheriff's office.

Houser, 51, faces an escape charge. He is described as a white male, 6 feet 1 inch tall and 170 pounds. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the sheriff's office at 892-6100.