An inmate who escaped from Newton County deputies while in custody at a hospital has been located in North Carolina, the sheriff’s office said Friday.
Kendrick Darnell Hurst, 34, ran from deputies Saturday at Piedmont Newton Hospital. He fled before he could be transported back to the jail, investigators said.
Hurst had been spotted in the days since his escape. He was found Friday morning in Wake County, North Carolina, with help from various law enforcement agencies, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
“Following his capture, Newton County Sheriff Ezell Brown commended the diligent work of all the law enforcement agencies involved in locating and detaining the escaped inmate,” the sheriff’s office said. “He also expresses gratitude to the public for their assistance and cooperation during the search for Hurst.”
No details were released about how Hurst, who fled on foot, was able to make it 400 miles from Newton County.
“There is still an ongoing investigation into this matter to determine who aided him in the escape,” the sheriff’s office said in a social media post Friday.
Hurst was arrested April 28 and charged with fleeing police, terroristic threats and acts, willful obstruction of law enforcement officers, and countless traffic violations, the sheriff’s office said.
Hurst now faces additional charges, including escape, improper backing, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, failure to stop at a yield sign, failure to signal when turning, driving on the wrong side of the roadway, improper lane usage, passing on a solid yellow line, driving on a divided highway, crossing on a median, reckless driving, speeding, two counts of terroristic threats and acts, willful obstruction of law enforcement officers, and disobeying a traffic control device, the sheriff’s office said.
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 after the escape.
“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.”
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.
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