ST. LOUIS — The inmate who escaped Mercy Hospital South early Thursday morning has been taken into custody, the St. Louis County Police Department said.
Tommy Wayne Boyd, 45, was taken into custody while he was walking into a Dierbergs on Watson Road in Shrewsbury, according to law enforcement sources. The store is located about 7 miles from Mercy South.
The department said its Special Response Unit was following up on the leads in the area when they found him.
"Our residents are safer tonight with Boyd in custody," the department said.
The two guards who were originally in charge of watching the inmate are no longer employed by the Department of Corrections, an official told 5 On Your Side Friday afternoon.
THE MANHUNT
Boyd was transported Wednesday to the hospital from the Potosi Correctional Facility for treatment. The Department of Corrections said Thursday afternoon that policy states when an inmate needs medical attention at a hospital, they are accompanied by two officers and are restrained.
Hospital staff last saw Boyd at about 3:55 a.m. Thursday and he was reported missing shortly after.
Surveillance video shared by the St. Louis County police showed Boyd leaving the hospital and traveling in an unknown direction at about 4 a.m.
A law enforcement source told 5 On Your Side that Boyd escaped when one of the two guards assigned to watch him went to the bathroom and the other guard fell asleep.
Boyd then lifted the key off the sleeping guard, uncuffed himself, took the guard's jacket and walked out. Boyd later told police he was going to try to get his gun from the holster but was afraid that would wake him up, the source said.
Boyd is listed in the Missouri Sex Offender Registry and is serving a 30-year sentence for the statutory sodomy of a child in Greene County in 2007, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections. Under Missouri law, statutory sodomy is described as having "deviant sexual intercourse" with anyone under the age of 14 years old.
From February 1997 to October 2006, Boyd was incarcerated for a previous statutory sodomy conviction in Springfield, Missouri, according to the Sex Offender Registry. His victim was 11 years old.
Mercy Hospital South released the following statement Thursday morning regarding Boyd's escape:
Early Thursday morning, a prison inmate guarded by two Missouri Department of Corrections officers escaped their custody while at Mercy Hospital South. There was no physical confrontation, no one was hurt and video surveillance, which we have shared with police, shows the escapee leaving the hospital. Police searched the campus and our security team searched all buildings on campus and found no evidence he was still there. We continue to assist St. Louis County Police in their search and investigation.
During a 10 a.m. news conference Thursday, St. Louis County Lt. Col. Jason Law said the Missouri Highway Patrol, Department of Corrections and U.S. Marshalls were assisting with the search. Still, there had been no reported sightings of the escaped inmate at that point.
"I will assure you that we have the capacity with our federal, state and local partners to continue this effort indefinitely," Law said.
Before his arrest, Boyd was at a person's house in Shrewsbury, where they had a dispute, the source said. When he left on foot, she called 911 and trailed him in her vehicle from a distance while giving police his location.
The relationship between the pair was not immediately clear.
Friday morning, the Missouri Department of Corrections echoed St. Louis County's gratitude for teamwork to catch Boyd. However, Karen Pojmann with the agency stated, "department protocol was not followed."
"While the department has a strict protocol in place for transportation and supervision of offenders receiving hospital care, our investigation has concluded that departmental protocol was not followed regarding offender Boyd at Mercy Hospital South. ," the statement read.
COMMUNITY CAUTION
Jinn Frakes lives in Tower Groves. Earlier Thursday, she saw some of the police activity in her neighborhood as officers searched for Boyd, but Thursday night, Frakes was inside the Dierbergs when police arrested the wanted man.
“Honestly, inside the store, people seemed to be pretty relaxed and very happy right now that they caught him," she said. "I’m surprised it happened at this supermarket, but the police seem to react quickly, so that’s nice."
“I’m just very curious to how he got out of the hospital," Frakes said. "If he’s a convicted felon, where were the handcuffs and the police? I just don’t understand how it happened … I am more disgusted at the fact that it even happened to begin with than anything."
Officers released a new photo of Boyd after he escaped. Police confirmed that the photo was a selfie taken by Boyd, but would not provide information on how officers obtained the photo.
Lindbergh Schools said Thursday morning it would be implementing lockout procedures in response to the escape. Exterior doors will remain locked and additional security will be in place as students arrive. The Mehlville School District also said it would be in a SECURE action, with similar procedures as Lindbergh. The school will remain in session and normal learning activities will continue indoors.
All elementary and middle school after-school activities, including Y-Club, in the Mehlville School District, were canceled.
The Lindbergh School District asked parents to consider driving students who normally walk and use caution at bus stops.
Anyone with information regarding the incident was asked to contact St. Louis County police at 636-529-8210 to speak with investigators. To remain anonymous, contact CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-TIPS (8477).
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