POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Lakeland man who at first evaded but was eventually caught by law enforcement managed to escape a hospital stay on Friday before being arrested just hours later, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The short-lived saga began Wednesday as deputies reported 33-year-old Timothy Tallmadge ran from them and got away. Tallmadge was wanted as a person of interest in a robbery investigation and had active warrants at the time, one regarding a petit theft charge in Polk County and the other — which involved the U.S. Marshals Service — regarding violation of probation for possession of a weapon, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
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Tallmadge reportedly ran from Polk deputies the next day, this time being captured and arrested on the two warrants as well as on additional charges of resisting and fugitive from justice. After complaining of pain, Tallmadge was taken to a hospital, deputies said.
Friday, during what was described as a procedure “which required that he be unrestrained,” Tallmadge escaped from Lakeland Regional Health, the statement reads.
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The sheriff’s office said deputies and Lakeland officers established a perimeter around the hospital and kept Tallmadge contained as law enforcement closed in and arrested the 33-year-old within three hours of his escape.
In addition to the previous charges, Tallmadge now faces charges of escape, resisting, three counts of occupied burglary and two counts of felony petit theft. The occupied burglary counts stem from Tallmadge’s alleged hideout on private property while the petit theft counts relate to him stealing a gown from the hospital and a shirt from the property, deputies said.
Tallmadge also faces pending charges from Lakeland police and Lake Alfred police, according to the statement. The Lakeland Police Department intends to charge Tallmadge with aggravated fleeing to elude, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, resisting and driving with a suspended or revoked license, while the Lake Alfred Police Department weighs charges of fleeing to elude and no valid driver’s license, Polk deputies said.
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