Man flees Milledgeville hospital, caught an hour later
Summary
A man wanted on felony charges in Putnam County fled Atrium Health Navicent hospital police Tuesday before being captured nearby following a search. “They were doing some paperwork, and he escaped from their custody and ran out the E.R. doors, […]
A man wanted on felony charges in Putnam County fled Atrium Health Navicent hospital police Tuesday before being captured nearby following a search.
“They were doing some paperwork, and he escaped from their custody and ran out the E.R. doors, and that’s when they called us,” Milledgeville Police Chief Dray Swicord told Lake Country Today. “We put a perimeter up, got D.O.C. (Department of Corrections) to come in with a tracking dog, and we caught him running across M.L.K. into the woods.”
Swicord said that the man, whose identity has not been released, was at the Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin hospital for unspecified medical evaluation.
Contrary to earlier reports, he was not in the custody of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office at the time but was wanted on felony charges in Putnam County.
“Putnam County called and told Navicent if and when he’s released, we have two felony warrants outstanding on him; if you’ll take him into custody, we’ll come get him,” Swicord said.
The suspect had been handcuffed at the time of his escape and was caught about an hour later.
In a statement to Lake Country Today, Amy Womack, Atrium Health Navicent Spokeswoman, said: “A situation arose on Tuesday that required the assistance of the Milledgeville Police Department. We thank the officers for their quick response. Due to a pending law enforcement investigation, it would be inappropriate to provide further comment at this time.”