Well-Dressed Prison Escapee Still On The Run, Last Seen In Jeans

Ronald Tackman, the prisoner who escaped from a Criminal Court holding cell yesterday and managed to blend in with the court crowds, thanks to his business suit, is still at large. He did manage to head to his mother's Upper East Side home; she told NY1, "He came home and he was all dressed up and I figured that he was discharged from prison. So I didn't say anything and he asked me to change his clothes and that was it." His new attire: Jeans and a black jacket.

Tackman's mother actually initially denied seeing her 55-year-old son, but the police said he was seen entering the building. (The cops took Tackman's suit.) Tackman was facing numerous robbery charges that could have landed him in prison for life, thanks to a colorful history of robbery and weapons charges—not to mention dramatic escape attempts from jail buses (one involved a fake gun made out of soap).

The NY Times reports, "The escape has left correction officials scratching their heads for answers as to how a man who had been listed in the department’s files as an escape risk was essentially able to walk out the door to freedom." Well, open holding cell door aside, a guard asked saw the suited-up Tackman and apparently said, "Counselor, what are you doing here?" to which the smooth criminal said, "I'm an attorney. I just talked to my client."

The Office of Court Administration says, "The court officer really had no reason to be alarmed or suspicious as the gentleman appeared to be an attorney — certainly not a defendant or a prisoner, as he was not cuffed or escorted by a corrections officer." And the Department of Corrections isn't really explaining why he wasn't handcuffed. The Post helpfully says that Tackman looks like Ratso Rizzo.