Sheriff: Inmate escaped from hospital before surgery, caught

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) - An inmate who escaped from an East Tennessee hospital before scheduled surgery Friday has been found and taken into custody, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.

Greene County Sheriff Wesley Holt told WJHL-TV the inmate is Mark Hanselman, 55, of Indiana, who was shot by a Greene County deputy during a confrontation on Dec. 3.

Hanselman was scheduled for surgery at Johnson City Medical Center when he escaped, Holt said.

TBI said later Friday that Hanselman was found and arrested by the Johnson City Police Department, but no further details were immediately provided.

TBI said Hanselman had already been charged with aggravated burglary, theft, and possessing a weapon as a felon. He could also face an escape charge.

East Tennessee State University, which is near the hospital, issued an alert urging students to shelter in place after the inmate escaped.

Across the state, authorities searched Friday for two inmates who escaped from Northwest Correctional Complex in Lake County.

The inmates, Robert Brown and Christopher Osteen, were considered armed and dangerous.