The League City Police Department is investigating how an inmate escaped their custody at UTMB Victory Lakes early Sunday morning.
Desmond Taylor, 37, was booked into the League City Jail on Friday. He was arrested on a family assault with previous convictions charge.
Taylor was reportedly transported to the hospital for evaluation following a medical complaint.
Around 1 a.m. Sunday police said Taylor, who had been under the 24/7 watch of an officer, escaped from the hospital.
A department public information officer told ABC13 the escape remained under investigation late Sunday, but preliminarily investigators believe Taylor escaped while the officer supervising him used the bathroom.
ABC13 asked the department if Taylor was handcuffed at the time and what policy is for restraints used on hospitalized inmates. The public information officer said the department was looking into the matter. He noted that it is common practice to handcuff inmates but said there are medical exemptions.
A department press release stated Taylors gown was found outside hospital, leading them to believe he was wearing only underwear and socks at the time of his escape.
He was apprehended wearing gloves and blue coveralls which the public information officer said were likely taken from the Jardina Center. Police believe Taylor spent most of his time on the run hunkered down at the heavy equipment and landscaping materials center, located less than a mile from the hospital.
Jardina Center Truck Driver Darrell Dominy told ABC13 when he arrived at the center around 9 a.m. Sunday he found two of the trucks he drives had been tampered with. He showed ABC13 a sock he found on one of the trucks. The vehicle's storage compartment had been opened, and Dominys blue coveralls and gloves were missing. He identified the garments as the same Dominy was photographed wearing at the time of his arrest.
The Jardina Center was closed Sunday, meaning Taylor and Dominy would have been the only two people there. Taylor said he did not notice Dominy, who was apprehended while running across the feeder road the business sits along.
Thats weird, Dominy said.
After Taylor was apprehended he was taken to the Galveston County Jail where he is now facing an escape charge.