Cops: Inmate captured after swallowing pens, escaping hospital
WASHINGTON, Ind. -- Police say they have captured an Indiana jail inmate who escaped last week from a hospital where he was receiving treatment after swallowing two pens.
Shane Cates was arrested Saturday morning after police received a tip that he was hiding in a home in Washington, Ind., not far from Daviess Community Hospital, where he escaped through a window on Feb. 15, according to police.
Daviess County Sheriff Jerry Harbstreit told 48 Hours' Crimesider on Feb. 16 that Cates broke through a window, and ran down a hallway where he broke another second floor window, allowing him to jump a short distance down to a roof. From there, he was likely able to climb down to a large air conditioning unit with a ladder attached to it.
Cates was taken to the hospital from the Daviess County Detention Center four days earlier, after officials say he swallowed two pens. It's not clear if the pens were swallowed as part of a larger scheme to break free.
Cates was taken into custody on Dec. 22. He was being held for allegedly violating probation. He also faces two felony charges of assault and aggravated battery stemming from a Dec. 10 incident in which he's accused of hitting his wife and mother, according to court records obtained by 48 Hours' Crimesider.
Authorities are expected to file additional charges related to his escape from custody.