DeKalb County inmate escapes from Grady Memorial Hospital
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Another inmate managed to escape from Grady Memorial Hospital. This marks the third time in less than a year, and twice in one month.
RELATED NEWS: INMATE ESCAPES FROM GRADY: ATLANTA POLICE LOOKING FOR AMY HIGHTOWER
Jamal Sanchez, 47, was reportedly taken to the hospital on March 21 for a medical emergency. He was picked up at a secured construction site in Chamblee on March 17 on felony possession charges, among other crimes. He was in DeKalb County's custody.
Three days later, Sanchez made a break for it. It's not yet clear how he was able to escape.
Deputies are now on the lookout for him. If you have seen this man, please contact the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office immediately.
Another Grady Detention Center inmate escapes amid probe
This latest escape comes as an internal affairs investigation is underway to figure out how another woman in Atlanta City Detention Center custody at the hospital managed to escape earlier this month.
Atlanta police said as of Monday, Amy Hightower was still on the run after she walked out of the center on March 12.
"They should not have been able to get away from a blind man with two peg legs," Atlanta City Council member Michael Bond said at Monday’s public safety committee meeting.
Amy Hightower (Atlanta Police Department)
Bond told FOX 5 he was disturbed to learn of a second detainee escape within two weeks.
"You would think that having one escape less than two weeks ago would’ve been enough to put all the agencies that are monitoring detainees in that facility on edge," he told FOX 5. "What if this was someone who had more serious charges or had done something harmful to a person?"
Bond believes minimal security outside the detention area at the facility is part of the problem.
"Persons who are actually injured could be housed anywhere in the building, so they’re not necessarily in a secured environment."
He said oversight by contracted state corrections employees are also to blame.
Grady responds to escaped inmates
In a statement from Grady, a spokesperson wrote:
"The existing policy for inmates under treatment at the hospital is that the custodial law enforcement agency must have one-to-one oversight of them at all times."
Jamal Sanchez (Credit: DeKalb County Sheriffs Office)
It’s unclear whether the DeKalb County sheriff’s employee watching Sanchez was a deputy or one of its corrections officers.
It’s also unclear whether the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office has opened an investigation into this latest escape. FOX 5 has reached out to the sheriff’s office for answers.
An APD spokesperson said they’re working with Atlanta City Detention Center officials to put more resources toward Grady.
Atlanta police say the search for Hightower is ongoing and its investigation could be finished in a matter of days.