(AP) – A mental patient who left the Arkansas State Hospital
with a staff psychologist without authorization had engineered a previous
escape.
Cory Chapin was committed to the hospital after he was acquitted in 2015 by reason of mental illness of attempted kidnapping, theft, unauthorized use of a vehicle and drug possession. Court records show that he was given a 48-hour pass to leave with his father in February 2016 and fled the state. He remained a fugitive until he was recaptured in Las Vegas last October.
Hospital officials say hospital psychologist Michelle Messer used her access to the hospital’s forensic unit to walk Chapin from the hospital Tuesday and leave in her personal car. Hospital officials have requested a bench warrant for the arrest of both.
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