Prison Says Inmate Escapes at Hospital

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A prison inmate taken to a hospital overpowered an armed guard Monday, briefly held two nurses and several prison workers in his room, then escaped with a weapon and a guard’s uniform, prison officials said.

Billy Jack Fitzmorris, 34, was believed to have left on foot from St. Elizabeth Hospital Medical Center, the Youngstown area’s main hospital, according to a statement from Corrections Corporation of America.

The company runs the Northeast Ohio Correction Center in Youngstown, where Fitzmorris had been held since February for the U.S. Marshals Service.

Residents of the area, businesses and schools were notified of the escape, said the company, based in Nashville, Tenn.

Several law enforcement agencies joined the search for Fitzmorris.

The company called Fitzmorris a pretrial inmate but did not provide details about why he was being held.

It also gave no details on why he was taken to the hospital on Saturday or how he overpowered the guard. He was under observation in his room Monday morning when the confrontation occurred, the company said.

Representatives of the hospital and the U.S. Marshals Service did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.