Escapee makes it to court a little late
7/16/2004Scott Craden, 30, who escaped Wednesday while being transported to Sylvania Municipal Court, appeared in that court yesterday on his original charges plus one count of escape, after being arrested by Toledo police as he hid in a bedroom closet about 6 a.m. in a house on Elmhurst Road.
Police were led to the house by someone who told them what neighborhood he likely was in and gave them a description of a car in which he was said to be a passenger.
The arrest was made after police saw the car parked in front of a house on Elmhurst and were given permission by the homeowner to search the residence.
No one else was charged, and Sylvania Township police are continuing to investigate.
Capt. Rob Boehme of the township police department said it seems likely Mr. Craden hid in some fashion in a police van while eight other prisoners were taken from the van to the court building on Monroe Street. The prisoners had been brought from the Lucas County jail to meet with public defenders.
He probably fled from the van, the captain said, after the prisoners and police were in the building. Officers noticed Mr. Craden was missing during a head count about 10:30 a.m.
Captain Boehme said it has not been determined how the prisoner was able to get away from the area near downtown Sylvania without being noticed. At the time, he was wearing a blue jumpsuit and had handcuffs attached to a chain around his waist.
He said no disciplinary action has been taken against the two officers in charge of transporting the prisoners, and they will remain on duty until an investigation is completed.
He said the department is considering shackling prisoners together during transport to avoid an individual escape.
Mr. Craden yesterday remained with his hands cuffed behind his back and his ankles connected by a length of chain as he appeared before visiting Judge Rolf Scheidel. He asked the judge to appoint a public defender for his cases.
He's charged with three counts of theft, two counts of auto theft, one count each of breaking and entering and escape. He also faces charges based on his failure to pay $266 in a fine and costs on a domestic violence conviction in January, 2000.
The theft-related charges, allegedly committed in late May and early June, call for sentence maximums of 12 to 18 months in jail, if convicted. The maximum penalty for escape is five years in prison.
Judge Scheidel set bond of $2,000 on each of the earlier charges and $10,000 for the escape. He continued the case until Wednesday.
Mr. Craden is being held in the county jail in lieu of $10,000 bond set by Judge Charles Doneghy in Lucas County Common Pleas Court. That case stems from his arrest June 13 in a motel room on Alexis Road. He is charged with receiving stolen property in connection with an automobile stolen from a Bowling Green woman that police found parked in front of the motel.
Contact Mike Jones at:
mjones@theblade.com
or 419-724-6096.