(RepublicanNews.org) – Convicted child molester Tommy Wayne Boyd is back behind bars after briefly escaping from custody on September 21st while receiving treatment at a St. Louis hospital.
According to authorities, the 45-year-old Missouri inmate snatched his handcuff keys off the belt of a snoozing guard, unlocked himself, donned a set of civilian clothes, and walked out of Mercy South Hospital on foot.
The second of two guards assigned to Boyd at the time is said to have been using the bathroom when the convict made his move. Boyd had been 16 years deep into a three-decade sentence for statutory sodomy at the nearby Potosi Correctional Facility when he was transferred to the STL hospital. Both of the Missouri Department of Corrections employees have since been let go.
Police in St. Louis County took to Twitter not long after the offender’s 4 a.m. escape to alert the public of the incident. Surveillance video showed him exiting the medical facility alone in a dark jacket, gym shorts, and orange flip-flops. Authorities said it was impossible to ascertain what direction he had headed once outside, though they suspect he spent the first few hours hiding in a storm drain.
At around 8 a.m., the convict made his way to a nearby gas station and convinced a local unsuspecting man to give him a ride. After dropping Boyd off in South STL, the man learned his passenger’s identity and contacted law enforcement. By the time police arrived in the area, the inmate was long gone.
At approximately 8 p.m., a woman called 911 to report that she was following the escapee. Authorities swooped in after her tip and arrested Boyd outside a grocery store, who they say bragged about his day. During his 16 hours on the run, the Missouri prisoner was able to shave his head, apply for a job, and go to a voter registry event, where he acquired a bit of free food.
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