RAF LAKENHEATH, England — The Air Force on Friday issued a $10,000 reward for information leading to the capture of escaped Airman Jeremy Parrott.

The 29-year-old slipped away from an escort while at the hospital at RAF Lakenheath on Sept. 24. He had served less than three months of a three-year conviction on child pornography charges when he escaped.

A nationwide manhunt by U.S. and British authorities has been under way for Parrott, whose passport was confiscated before he entered confinement. Although tips and sightings have poured in, officials said they hope the reward will encourage more and be a shot in the arm for the investigation.

“This was a way of getting some incentive out there to get the public involved more,” said Capt. Kelley Jeter, 3rd Air Force spokeswoman.

Parrott pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing child pornography and one count of receiving it during his court-martial this summer. The charges stemmed from a Web site he accessed while stationed in North Carolina and England that was flagged during a federal sting.

Parrott, who was assigned to the 48th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Lakenheath, was also given a dishonorable discharge and demoted during his sentencing in July.

Authorities do not suspect Parrott of committing any violent acts while on the lam and said his background indicates no history of violence.

“Certainly he’s going to need to provide for his basic needs, and we’re always concerned about what lengths someone may go to do that,” Special Agent (Lt. Col.) Terry Bullard, commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Detachment 512, said in late November.

“But we also have concerns about his health,” added Bullard, whose unit handles cases at U.S. bases throughout the U.K.

Seeking the public’s help in cases such as Parrott’s is a slippery slope that investigators must tread carefully. While keeping Parrott in the public eye is critical to generating tips, releasing too many details could compromise the investigation, Bullard said.

In addition, Parrott “is among the public we’re speaking with,” he said. “It’s a balancing act.”

Among the undisclosed details of the case are whether Parrott’s escort, an airman from his old unit whose name has not been made public, is a suspected accomplice.

The 48th Maintenance Squadron has submitted an “after-action report” on the incident during which Parrott escaped. But that report also has not been released, said Capt. Jason Palatas, chief of operations and training for Security Forces at U.S. Air Forces in Europe headquarters in Germany.

USAFE does not plan to alter the Air Force policies that control how airmen are shuffled around while serving time at on-base confinement facilities, he said. If the guidelines had been strictly followed, Parrott would not have been able to escape, Palatus said.

Airmen who are not Security Force members and are escorting medium-risk inmates, such as Parrott, are required to attend “hands-on” training before assuming the job and do not supervise high-risk inmates. Though not written into the policy, non-law enforcement escorts typically are called upon when Security Forces personnel are unavailable, Palatus said.

Authorities caution that while Parrott is not considered dangerous, members of the public should not attempt to apprehend him. Instead they should call 48th Security Forces Control Center at 01638-52-2333 or the local law enforcement agency.