Sheriff: Can't confirm SWAT teams near DeForest is manhunt for escaped inmates

The Dane County SWAT team had responded to a home near DeForest in what the Sheriff's Office couldn't confirm as being connecting to a manhunt for two escaped inmates from the Columbia County Correctional Institution Thursday.

The Sheriff's Office adds, though, that "that's what they're hoping for."

The two inmates

in Rockford, Illinois.

Sheriff Dave Mahoney told NBC15 News in an update later that evening that law enforcement are searching farm fields in northwestern Dane County "for individuals," and would not confirm if he meant the two escaped inmates.

The escape has garnered a massive law enforcement response across Dane and Columbia counties Thursday. Police say inmates James Newman, 37, and Thomas Deering, 46,

Thursday morning and are believed to be heading towards the Madison area.

Both men are considered dangerous, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections says, and urges anyone with information about their whereabouts to call law enforcement immediately.

Authorities continue to warn residents living in that area to stay inside, lock your doors and report any suspicious activity.