CLEVELAND, Ohio — T.J. Lane, sentenced to life in prison in March 2013 for the shooting deaths of three people at Chardon High School, escaped Thursday night from a prison in Lima, Ohio.

Lima Police Sgt. Andy Green said officials are now searching areas near the prison for Lane, 19, and another man, Clifford E. Opperud, 45, who also escaped. Lane escaped with two other inmates but one was captured, Green said.

Green said the department was notified about the escape at 8 p.m. Thursday. He said it's unknown how the men got out of the Allen Correctional Institution.

Lima police, the Allen County Sheriff's Department and the Ohio Highway Patrol are all searching neighborhoods and wooded areas within a quarter-mile of the prison for the two men, Green said.

"All available troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol have been joined by Allen County Sheriff's deputies and local area law enforcement in establishing a perimeter and searching the area," said Ohio Department of Public Safety Director John Born in a news release. "A patrol helicopter with advanced infrared detection equipment has been deployed and is engaged in the search as well."

T.J. Lane

It's believed the men are still on foot, Green said.

According to the police department's Facebook page, the men are wearing prison-blue uniforms.

"Our officers are working hard to locate these escapees," the department said in a statement on Facebook at 11:15 p.m. "All available officers are in and searching. We'll get them. Be safe."

Chardon Schools released a statement at 11:35 p.m. saying officials are monitoring the situation and will make a decision by 5:30 a.m. Friday on whether to cancel classes.

"The safety and well-being of all students, staff and community remain our highest priority," the statement says.

The district will offer counseling and other support services on Friday, the statement says.

Criminal attorney Ian Friedman, who defended Lane in the Chardon school shootings case, said he was shocked to hear of Lane's escape.

"I can't speak to what his mindset is," Friedman said. "But I don't think anyone would dispute the fact that he's a very smart young man."

Opperud, of Carlisle, Ohio, is described as being 5-10, 175 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. According to the Ohio Department of Corrections website, Opperud has been incarcerated since June 2008 on charges of kidnapping, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary.

Clifford Opperud

He was scheduled to remain in prison until March 2023.

A spokesman for Gov. John Kasich said the governor "was notified shortly after it happened and then received a full briefing by DRC [Department of Rehabilitation and Correction] and the Patrol."

Lane pleaded guilty to the Feb. 27, 2012, slayings of Daniel Parmertor, 16; Demetrius Hewlin, 16; and Russell King Jr., 17. He also fired shots from a .22-caliber Ruger that struck Nick Walczak, who is in a wheelchair because of it, and Nate Mueller and Joy Rickers, who suffered minor injuries.

He was sentenced in March 2013 to three consecutive life sentences in a hearing at which his insolent behavior angered the victims' family members and residents. In May, his life sentences were upheld by an appeals court.

Lane has been a difficult inmate during his 18 months in prison. He has been disciplined seven times. In August, prison officials cited Lane for urinating on a wall in the Allen Correctional Institution. Prison officials took away Lane's recreation privileges for seven days, a prison official told The Plain Dealer earlier this week.

It was the latest incident in which Lane displayed his struggles at adjusting to prison life. For months, he had been in protective custody since he was taken to the Lima prison in 2013, but it is unclear whether he remained there at the time of his escape.

The Associated Press contacted Dina Parmertor, mother of Daniel Parmertor, at her home in Chardon on Thursday night.

"I'm disgusted that it happened," Parmertor said of the escape. "I'm extremely scared and panic stricken. I can't believe it."

Plain Dealer reporters John Caniglia and Rachel Dissell and Northeast Ohio Media Group reporter Henry Gomez contributed to this story.