The Habersham County jail inmate who escaped while being treated in the emergency room at Habersham Medical Center in Demorest last week is back in custody.
45-year old Jody Smallwood was located and arrested at a residence in Union County, Tennessee late Monday, the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office says.
Union County law enforcement with the assistance of the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office and US Marshalls found Smallwood at the residence around 9:30 p.m. on January 9. He was taken into custody and charged with three counts of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and fugitive from justice.
READ: Hospital security guard alerted authorities to inmate’s escape
Smallwood, who’s from Tennessee, was jailed in Habersham on December 26, 2016 on numerous charges including 2nd degree burglary, possession of methamphetamine, two counts of obstructing a law enforcement officer, giving false information to law enforcement, and driving on a suspended or revoked license. He was being held in the Habersham County jail on $9,950 bond when he escaped from the hospital while being treated for minor injuries authorities say he suffered in a fall at the jail.
A security guard at the hospital saw Smallwood on a security monitor walking out of the hospital on January 3. Authorities searched but were unable to find him during a multi-agency manhunt in Demorest that night.
“We have not determined exactly how he got to Tennessee,” says Habersham County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Matthew Wurtz. “The investigation into the exact circumstances of his escape are still under investigation.”
As for earlier reports Smallwood may have previously escaped from another jurisdiction Wurtz says, “We are still unable to confirm any previous escapes.”
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office will be coordinating with Union County, Tennessee to extradite Smallwood. The Sheriff’s Office extends its appreciation to the public for their assistance in this incident.
Updated 3:40pm 1/10/17
