Saturday, September 09, 2006
Tribune-Herald staff writer
A routine traffic stop took an unusual turn when two men escaped Hamilton County sheriff’s deputies after one wriggled free of his handcuffs and drove off in a patrol car Tuesday night.
Officials still were looking for the pair Thursday night, a spokeswoman for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said. No officers were hurt in the incident, she said.
The spokeswoman declined to give some details about the incident, including the type of car the suspects were driving and details about the suspects’ charges. She said Hamilton County Sheriff W.R. “Randy” Murphree was not available for comment Thursday.
According to the release, deputies pulled over a vehicle for speeding about 8:20 p.m. Tuesday on County Road 121 in Hamilton County. The officers arrested two men inside for having open containers of alcohol in the vehicle.
The officers put the two in the back seat of a patrol car and turned to two others in the vehicle, the spokeswoman said.
One of the suspects managed to free himself from his handcuffs in the back of the patrol car and drove off.The men headed north on U.S. Highway 281, she said.
The stolen patrol car was found abandoned at County Road 208 outside of Hico, the spokeswoman said, although she didn’t know the time the patrol car was found.
A passenger was arrested for public intoxication. The fourth passenger was released without being charged.
Officials said they know the identity of the suspects who fled, although they didn’t release the names Thursday