Breaking out of prison is a nearly impossible task for most criminals.
But a chance at freedom is an opportunity that most would relish.
But a Florida criminal regretted escaping from jail after he ended up in this painful situation.
Florida prisoner fakes illness to get taken to hospital for escape
Anthony Romine, 29, was being held in the Flagler County, Florida jail after he was arrested for armed burglary, theft, and forgery.
This added to his long rap sheet which included the theft of a car, drug possession, and theft of a bike.
He was also charged with aggravated battery after he used a tablet to attack another inmate.
This career criminal came up with an ingenious way to try to escape from jail.
Romine told guards that he was suffering from paralysis so they would have to take him to the hospital.
The police officer guarding him at the medical facility fell asleep, and he walked out of the hospital room he was in.
Romine had a head start on law enforcement after he made his escape.
The escaped criminal ends up back at the hospital
Once the police discovered that Romine escaped from the hospital, the manhunt was underway.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office’s helicopter, Flagler County Fire Rescue’s helicopter, a drone, Flagler County Sheriff’s K-9 team, and bloodhounds from the Tomoka State prison were hunting him down.
Law enforcement searched for seven hours before they got their break.
A member of the Flager County Sheriff’s Office spotted him near a gas station by the highway.
Romine was ordered to stop but he fled into the woods.
That is when one of the sheriff’s deputies tracked him with a K-9 in the woods.
Romine tried to hide himself under a pile of leaves, but the dog picked up his scent.
Bodycam footage captured the arrest.
Yesterday, K-9 Neo took a bit out of crime when he tracked and apprehended an inmate who was hiding in the woods.
Let this be a lesson: You can run, but you can’t hide! pic.twitter.com/z8KY35eA3t
— Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (@FlaglerSheriff) July 28, 2024
The deputy unleashed the dog who began to attack the escaped criminal.
And the police dog latched onto his arm which caused him to scream out in pain.
“Get him please!” Romine told deputies.
The deputy scolded him for trying to escape.
“You thought you were going to get away?” the deputy asked.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly praised the work of his K-9 officer for “taking a bite out of crime.”
“We worked until we got him. I commend our team for staying on his trail, and the community for ‘seeing something, saying something’ until this dirtbag was captured,” Staly said.
“All he accomplished was to add additional arrests to his list of crimes and got bitten by our K-9, who gets a special treat for taking ‘a bite out of crime’ when he tried to flee again,” Staly continued. “Fortunately, no one was hurt except this dirtbag who was crying after he was caught by our K-9.”
Romine picked up additional charges for felony escape and assaulting an officer for trying to shove the K-9 off himself.
The brief taste of freedom bought him a real trip to the hospital for dog bites from escape.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
