Summary: Changes are coming to the Tuscarawas County Sheriffs department after a 40 hour, countywide manhunt for an escaped fugitive.
Story:
A 48 hour manhunt ended Saturday night, May 7, when the Tuscarawas County Sheriffs department found Chris Bair, 35, of New Philadelphia, who escaped from an ambulance in Dover on night of Friday May 6.
Mr. Bair escaped from a moving ambulance Friday night in Dover after assaulting a paramedic and then stole a truck from Dover Middle School. said Tuscarawas County Sheriff Walt Wilson. There were no deputies in the ambulance at the time of his escape due to Bair being transported to Massillon after being evaluated by mental health officials at Union Hospital.
The subsequent manhunt involved many Sheriffs Deputies, including myself. We first found the stolen truck in the Port Washington area Saturday then followed tips we received throughout the day. Ultimately, Deputy Jimmy Martin came upon Bair Saturday night while responding to another call in the Ragersville area. Deputy Martin found Bair at the intersection of Steel Hill Rd. and Stonecreek Rd. and apprehended him without resistance.
The Dover Police Department could not release any information about their investigation into the stolen truck since the report on the incident was not finished.
We first arrested Bair after he failed to appear for court, said Sheriff Wilson. Its our policy that should we determine that someone is in need of mental health evaluation we take them to be evaluated, we felt that Mr. Bair should be evaluated. The hospital then recommended transfer to Massillon Behavioral, it was en route to Massillon that Bairs escape took place. Luckily no one other than the paramedic in the ambulance was assaulted or injured; it appears that Bair was only concerned with getting away from the authorities.
In the future the Sheriffs department will transport those who need transferred to mental health facilities, rather than being transported unrestrained in an ambulance.
To my knowledge nothing like this has happened before, said Sheriff Wilson, and I want to make sure it doesnt again.
