NEW CASTLE — The manhunt continues today for an inmate who failed to return to jail here following a funeral Saturday for his teenage brother who died nine days ago in Butler County at the end of a high-speed chase.

Durand Lawson, 20, of New Castle is wanted on a felony warrant for escape.

Butler County authorities are on alert for Lawson, who reportedly blames Cranberry Township police for 19-year-old Lagene Lawson’s death. He shot himself in Cranberry, according to township police.

“We were notified by the sheriff’s department of an overt threat (Durand Lawson) made that he was going to retaliate in some form,” said state police Lt. Eric Hermick of the Butler barracks.

Authorities also were concerned that Lawson may seek to harm his brother’s girlfriend, who lives in Butler, police said.

“He’s been known to carry a firearm,” Hermick said, “so he is a law enforcement concern.”

Lagene Lawson died Aug. 4 after a crime spree that started in Butler, city police said.

Lagene Lawson’s funeral was Saturday in New Castle.

Lawrence County Judge Dominick Motto on Friday approved Durand Lawson’s request to attend the funeral.

Since April, 29, 2011, Lawson had been in the Lawrence County Jail on felony drug trafficking charges as well as carrying a gun without a permit.

Motto’s order allowed Lawson to get out of jail on unsupervised furlough. He was released at 10:30 a.m., a jail official said.

He was to return at 2:30 p.m. He never did.