Deputy Resigns, Inmate Escapes in Florida
- A deputy in Flagler County, Florida, resigned after allowing an inmate to escape.
- Reports suggest the deputy fell asleep while guarding the inmate.
- The incident resulted in the escape of the inmate under the deputy's watch.
A Florida inmate, Anthony Romine, managed to escape from custody last week after faking an injury while at AdventHealth Palm Coast Hospital. Authorities revealed that the deputy assigned to guard him, Tyrique Harper, was "likely sleeping" during the incident, leading to Romine's successful escape. Following the event, Harper resigned before an internal investigation could commence, prompting the hospital to go on lockdown and triggering a significant manhunt. Romine, 29, had been arrested earlier on charges including petty theft and counterfeiting. He was taken to the hospital after claiming he had fallen, a ruse that investigators later determined was a ploy to facilitate his escape back to Ohio. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office stated that Romine was not properly restrained in accordance with policy, which contributed to the incident. The manhunt for Romine lasted approximately seven hours, concluding when a K-9 team located him hiding in a wooded area near a gas station. Video footage captured the moment the K-9 dragged a struggling Romine from his hiding spot. Fortunately, no additional crimes were reported during his escape attempt, according to Mark Strobridge, chief of staff of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office. In light of the incident, felony escape charges were added to Romine's existing charges, along with battery on a law enforcement officer without violence. Sheriff Staly emphasized the importance of adherence to policy, stating that the agency's motto, "An Honor to Serve, A Duty to Protect," was not upheld in this case.