Prisoner attempts to escape during hospital visit
A Lincoln Parish Detention Center prisoner attempted to escape during a visit to the Northern Louisiana Medical Center last week.
Trontais Lewis, 38, of Ruston, was being held at the detention center for insurance fraud, three counts of identity theft, and failure to appear in court. On December 12 at about 11:00 p.m., Lewis visited the restroom inside the hospital.
After he exited the restroom, the escorting deputy told Lewis to place his hands on the wall and raise his leg so leg restraints could be applied. When a nearby automatic exterior door opened in the emergency room, Lewis turned away from the wall and ran down the hallway.
Lewis was ordered to stop, but he continue to flee until he turned into a corner with no exit. According to the deputy’s report, Lewis turned at him aggressively as if he wanted to fight. Lewis tried to physically overpower the deputy, striking him on the left side of the face and grabbing the deputies fingers and bending them as if trying to break them.
During the struggle, Lewis screamed about wanting to commit suicide. The deputy asked medical staff to call for additional assistance. With the help of the medical staff, Lewis‘s restraints were replaced.
When Lewis was returned to the detention center, he was booked on additional charges of simple escape, battery on a police officer, resisting officer, and attempted theft. His total bail on all charges is now $163,000.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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