FARMINGTON, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri man is facing charges after apparently fainting in court, then escaping custody following observation at a hospital.
The Daily Journal newspaper in Park Hills, Mo. (http://bit.ly/1b8SdEG ) reports that 24-year-old Timothy James Hawkins of Mexico, Mo., is charged with escape from confinement.
The new charges stem from a sentencing hearing in April in St. Francois County. A judge had just sentenced Hawkins to 15 years in prison for assaulting a corrections officer.
After hearing the sentence, Hawkins fell to the ground, apparently fainting. Court officials suspected he was faking but he was sent to a hospital in an ambulance, accompanied by a bailiff.
Tests found nothing wrong, but as a deputy was escorting Hawkins to a patrol car, he took off running. He was captured within 20 minutes.
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Information from: Daily Journal, http://dailyjournalonline.com