Prison Escapee Caught In Upper Manhattan, In Jeans And Tee
Ronald Tackman, the man who escaped from custody at Criminal Court thanks to his nice suit, was captured last night at 175th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Washington Heights. A tipster told cops that he was taking a city bus and they were there to arrest him.
A police source told the Daily News, "He went peacefully and quietly." Apparently the 55-year-old who had been facing life in prison for other robbery charges (he has an extensive record) was "hiding out with a friend in Washington Heights, with whom he had stashed $7,000... He had $1,000 on him when he was nailed and was wearing jeans and a T-shirt."
On Wednesday, Tackman had been moved from Rikers to Criminal Court for a hearing. According to the Post, he managed to escape because a corrections officer "removed the handcuffs of inmate Ronald Tackman and eight others...as they stood in the 12th floor hallway. Policy calls for inmates to be uncuffed only inside the holding cell or just before they enter, sources said." Instead of standing there obediently, Tackman, in a three-piece suit (and looking like a lawyer!), decided to walk down to a courtroom and ask a court officer on where the exit was. The Corrections Department is reviewing its processes and said, "We can anticipate that we will, in the end, have found weaknesses in procedure and weaknesses in performance."
