A man charged with fleeing from police fled once again on Saturday afternoon from Piedmont Newton Hospital, according to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office. On Monday, he remained on the run and investigators offered a $3,500 reward to help find him.
Kendrick Darnell Hurst, 34, was arrested on April 28 and also charged with terroristic threats and acts, willful obstruction of law enforcement officers, and countless traffic violations, the sheriff’s office said.
On Saturday, Hurst escaped custody while deputies attempted to transport him from the hospital to the jail, launching a massive manhunt, according to Sheriff Ezell Brown. Brown said he had been in touch with Hurst’s family members, who were cooperating with the investigation.
“I urge Mr. Hurst, if he’s listening, to do the right and surrender yourself peacefully,” Brown said.
Investigators said when he left the hospital, Hurst was wearing a bright, lime green jumpsuit. Hurst is 5′10″ and weighs 190 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He has a lip piercing and facial tattoos, police said.
Late Sunday, the sheriff’s office said Hurst had been spotted in the area of City Pond Road in Covington wearing dark blue jeans, a red durag and no shirt.
“We had no reason to believe Mr. Hurst was an imminent threat to the community at the time of his escape, as his previous charges were domestic-related and traffic violations,” Ezell said in a video posted to Facebook on Sunday.
The sheriff’s office did not say how long Hurst had been in the hospital or why he was being treated. An investigation was underway to determine how Hurst was able to escape, Brown said.
“Rest assured, there is an ongoing internal investigation to determine if there were any failures in following protocol,” the sheriff said. “As always, should any wrongdoing be discovered, appropriate action will be taken.”
The Covington Police Department, Conyers Police Department, and Georgia State Patrol were assisting with the search for Hurst, along with other neighboring agencies.
The Newton sheriff’s office was offering a $500 reward and the U.S. Marshals Service an additional $3,000 for information leading to Hurst’s re-arrest.
According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, Hurst was released from prison in October 2022 after serving nearly 14 years for a kidnapping conviction in Newton County.
Anyone with information on Hurst’s whereabouts is asked to call 911.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
About the Author
