How a Georgia inmate escaped and was captured

Justin Craft had already tried to escape once before he ever made it to Piedmont Hospital.

That detail sits at the center of a two-day sequence in Augusta that ended Wednesday with two people in custody and a few questions worth asking about how a man facing robbery and battery charges ended up uncuffed in a hospital room.

Here’s how it unfolded.

On the afternoon of April 6, Deputy Reginald Holcomb responded to a complaint on Mercedes Drive involving stolen electricity — extension cords running from one property to another. While following up at 2911 Algernon Circle in Hephzibah, he heard yelling, profanity, and what he described as a threat. When he moved toward the commotion, he found a white female with a hand injury and visible bleeding near a storage shed, and a man who refused to come when called.

That man was Justin Eric Craft Jr., 33, of Hephzibah.

Craft walked into the residence instead of complying. Holcomb moved to cut off his exit. Craft ran anyway. The deputy chased him on foot to a yard at 2918 Algernon Circle, where Craft tripped over brush, tried to get up and run again, and was brought down with a Taser.

Once in handcuffs, Craft gave a fake name — Jason Terell — and a false date of birth. Deputies confirmed his real identity. Then, still in custody and still in handcuffs, he tried to escape a second time. Deputy King caught him after a brief foot pursuit.

Further investigation revealed that Craft had been in a verbal altercation with his ex-girlfriend, Jordan Turner, who lived at the address. Turner told deputies that Craft forcibly grabbed her purse during the argument, and that the zipper cut her hand in the process. She said she wanted to prosecute.

Craft was charged with robbery by sudden snatch, battery, misdemeanor obstruction, giving a false name, and misdemeanor escape. He was then transported to Piedmont Hospital — not because he was injured by the Taser, but because he told deputies he may have ingested an unknown quantity of narcotics while in custody.

He spent the night at Piedmont. The following evening, April 7, around 8:35 p.m., Craft was still there, being guarded by Deputy Rodney Manuel. He complained of a medical issue and was taken for testing. For that, he had to be uncuffed.

He bolted from the hospital room and ran out of the building on foot — shirtless, in blue jeans, last seen near Tenth Street.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office put out a public alert. He was described as 5’6″, approximately 156 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

He was found on the 2600 block of Drayton Drive, inside a vehicle. Behind the wheel was Latoya Vonishay Lovett, 34, of Augusta. Following the investigation, Lovett was charged with harboring or concealing a fugitive and transported to the Charles B. Webster Detention Center.

Craft now faces an additional charge of escape.

The full charge list from the original April 6 arrest: robbery by sudden snatch, battery, misdemeanor obstruction of a law enforcement officer, giving a false name and date of birth to an officer, and misdemeanor escape. The hospital escape on April 7 added another escape charge to that count.

Anyone with information can contact the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office at 706-821-1085.