NICEVILLE, Fla. — A Baker Act patient who escaped from HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital on Thursday was located and taken into custody following a multi-agency search that stretched from Turkey Creek to Bayou Plaza, according to the Niceville Police Department.
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The incident began on June 4 at approximately 4:15 p.m., when officers responded to HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital after learning a patient had left the facility.
Officers from the Niceville Police Department and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) searched the area for the individual. An OCSO deputy later spotted the person near the north entrance of Turkey Creek.
Sgt. Pond, K9 Kodi, Inspector Teets, and OCSO Cpl. Biernacki began tracking the individual while other officers and deputies established a perimeter around Turkey Creek.
K9 Kodi tracked the individual south through wooded areas toward State Road 20. According to police, the individual entered the water near the main Turkey Creek entrance and was later seen floating beneath the State Road 20 bridge by a witness.
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With assistance from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Drone Unit, K9 Unit, and Marine Unit, authorities located the individual near the dock behind Dollar General in Bayou Plaza.
Police said the individual resisted being taken into custody but was ultimately detained.
The individual was transported to HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital.
The Niceville Police Department did not release additional information about the individual.
