Witnesses claim that while watching an escaped prisoner, a Flagler County officer dozed off.
Authorities say the reason a Florida prisoner escaped from custody last week after feigning an ailment and leaving a hospital was that the deputy assigned to watch over him was “probably sleeping.”
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Tyrique Harper, a deputy in Flagler County, resigned on Tuesday, just before an internal investigation into how 29-year-old Anthony Romine escaped from AdventHealth Palm Coast Hospital began. This led to the hospital being placed on lockdown and a massive manhunt for the prisoner.
“Witnesses indicate that Deputy Tyrique Harper was likely sleeping during the time of the escape and the inmate was not properly restrained in accordance to policy,” according to the sheriff’s office.
After the escape on July 27, Harper was immediately stripped of his law enforcement responsibilities while an initial investigation into the event was underway.
