GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The man accused for the death of a missing Portage mother has been sentenced for escaping a Kalamazoo halfway house.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office – Western District of Michigan (DOJ) says 38-year-old Carlos Watts was sentenced to spend 14 months behind bars for escaping the Kalamazoo Probation Enhancement Program (KPEP) shortly after his girlfriend, Heather Kelley, went missing in December 2022.
Watts was near the end of his 156-month prison sentence for various drug charges when he was moved to KPEP, federal attorneys explain. He reportedly snatched a pair of scissors from a staff member’s desk and snipped off his ankle monitor on Dec. 12, 2022, the day after Kelley’s disappearance.
We’re told Watts was arrested in Battle Creek days later.
“Carlos Watts poses a tremendous threat to our community,” says U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “While finishing his sentence at a halfway house for drug trafficking and possessing a firearm, Mr. Watts cut his tether, fled the facility, and has since been charged with the murder of his former girlfriend. My office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe and hold criminals accountable.”
Earlier this week, prosecutors announced Watts had been charged with open murder for his girlfriend’s death.
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