Man escapes from Eastern Shore State Hospital, located in Montgomery Co.
Accomplice shot out window, drove getaway car
By Dave RyanCAMBRIDGE – A 19-year-old Rockville man is back in custody after escaping from the Eastern Shore State Hospital Center on Woods Road.
On Aug. 1, at approximately 5:39 p.m., Cambridge Police Department officers responded to the hospital, a mental health facility in reference to a shooting incident. While officers were enroute to the location, further information was relayed that the suspects may have fled in a black passenger vehicle.
Upon the officers’ arrival they contacted security officers, who said an unknown subject in a black vehicle approached the building and shot several times into a glass window. The person then kicked the broken window out, which allowed a patient to escape with the subject in the vehicle. There were no reported injuries at the scene.
The hospital provides a range of care to patients with various diagnoses, including evaluation and inpatient treatment to those who have been court ordered to this facility.
“Comprehensive forensic evaluations are conducted on an inpatient and outpatient basis,” the hospital’s website says. Among the services performed are assistance to the court “by rendering an opinion on an individual’s competency to stand trial and/or a determination of criminal responsibility.”
The patient who escaped was identified as Darrin Lee Jeter. He had been committed to the Hospital Center for assault on law enforcement officers.
Detectives from the CPD Criminal Investigation Division also responded to the scene, where several spent shell casings were recovered. Detectives continued the investigation by contacting law enforcement agencies in Montgomery County.
By midday Wednesday, Jeter had been located in Montgomery County by allied agencies. The investigation is continuing, as police work to identify the suspect and the vehicle involved.
The Cambridge Police Department is requesting the assistance of the community with any information on this event. Contact the Criminal Investigation Division at 410-228-3333. All calls can remain anonymous.
