Post by Scumhunter on Apr 28, 2017 21:11:28 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: capital gazette.com)
From capital gazette.com:
Police are searching for a man serving a 106-year prison sentence in Delaware after he escaped Friday while being taken to a psychiatric facility in Jessup.
Howard County police said David M. Watson II, 28, ran into the woods while he was being taken into the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center near Dorsey Run Road and Patuxent Range Road.
Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis said Watson was being transported to the prison hospital center for a regular psychiatric evaluation. He was convicted of attempted murder after shooting into police officers' homes in Delaware and was sentenced to 106 years in prison.
But Watson was ruled not competent to stand trial in 2014 for similar charges in Maryland. He has been undergoing regular psychiatric evaluations since then.
Howard County police said he did not have access to weapons, but urged anyone who sees someone matching Watson's description to call 911 immediately.
Watson is white, 5-feet, 8-inches tall and weighs 140 pounds. He was last seen wearing all-white clothing.
Police have found two articles of clothing belonging to Watson, but as of 9 p.m. Friday, he was still on the loose in the heavily wooded area along the Howard-Anne Arundel line.
Watson went on a shooting spree in 2012, targeting police officers' homes in Delaware and allegedly in Wicomico County in Maryland, The News Journal reported.
He was convicted of attempted murder in Delaware, but when he was tried in Maryland, a Wicomico County Circuit Court judge ruled he was not mentally competent to stand trial. He was committed to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene but started serving his sentence in Delaware, The Daily Times reported.
Wicomico County State's Attorney Ella Disharoon said the regular evaluations ordered by the court have found no evidence that Watson is competent to stand trial in Maryland.
Watson was picked up Friday from the Sussex County Correctional Facility in Delaware and taken to the Wicomico County Detention Center, Lewis said. From there, two correctional officers headed to Jessup with him at 8 a.m., Warden George Kaloroumakis said.
After arriving at the hospital around 9:40 a.m., Watson escaped as he was being moved from the vehicle into the hospital, Howard County police said. His escape was reported at 9:46, and Howard County started a search using K-9 teams, a helicopter and tactical units. Maryland State Police and Anne Arundel County police were also taking part in the search.
Kaloroumakis could not provide additional details on how Watson was able to escape. The officers' handguns were in lock boxes inside their vehicle when he fled.
By Friday afternoon, police officers were still scouring the area surrounding the prison hospital, walking up train tracks and circling the area in helicopters.
Howard County police said Friday night they are offering a $5,000 reward for information on Watson's whereabouts.
www.capitalgazette.com/news/for_the_record/ph-ac-cn-escaped-prisoner-jessup-0429-20170428-story.html
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