It happens very rarely here in Bath, but this week, everyone with a telephone got a Code Red Alert about an escaped prisoner in Highland. He could very well be headed to Bath, the alert noted. The gossip sites noted the prisoner has family in northern Bath, and maybe in West Warm Springs.
We were all advised to lock our vehicles and doors. That is something I don’t do that often, but I went out and did it, nonetheless. I sincerely doubt a 6-foot, 4-inch man weighing 220 pounds would be making it all the way to my little road.
Here are a couple of immediate questions that came to mind: First, how did a man that big manage to escape through the back window of a police car? I doubt I could do it, or you, either. My second question is, was he in handcuffs, as prisoners are supposed to be? No one in Highland could answer that question.
He was wearing the traditional jail attire, an orange jumpsuit. So, we have a huge man, in an orange jumpsuit, maybe handcuffed, kicking out a window and leaping to the roadside. Imagine the contortions!
This man, facing up to 30 charges, most of them felonies, is a bad actor. Maybe that’s how he knew to steal a mode of transportation – in this case a camouflage ATV. While the camouflage would help hide him from view, there ain’t no disguising or muffling an ATV engine. And, it’s going to run low on fuel sooner or later. There are not many filling stations in the wilds of Bath and Highland.
Police from three counties, as well as state troopers, at least one K-9, and some borrowed drones (every sheriff’s office should have one of their own) were hunting for the man until darkness fell. As of Tuesday night, he had not been located. By then, he was no doubt tucked into a ramshackle cabin in the midst of the woods. Or sleeping in a relative’s “guest room,” although I don’t think people of this sort have “guest rooms.” A tattered pallet on an unswept floor would be more likely.
Probably by the time this prints, on Friday, the escaped prisoner will no longer be on the run. Our law enforcement officers are quite good at ferreting out ne’er do wells hiding in the woods. After all, these are men who live much of their off hours in the woods, hunting for wild animals. If my deadline were Thursday, my bet is that I could report that this man is back in custody.
And, if he’s still on the run, he won’t be for long. Someone, somewhere, will notice him and, if they aren’t part of his family, will “drop a dime” on him to the sheriff’s office. We can only hope, and sit back and wait.
Here’s a rather humorous thing: The escaped prisoner had expressed the desire to have a jury trial. Yeah. Right. Like a jury of God-fearing local folks would give him a “not guilty” pass. Hah!
The incident did provide us law-abiding citizens with a little excitement, though, for at least an afternoon. And around here, where not much happens, we gotta love that!
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