A handcuffed defendant bolted from a Maine courthouse just moments after he was convicted of child assault — but he was quickly nabbed by two fleet-footed jurors.
Nicolas Carter, 31, jumped over the bar and bolted out of a second-floor courtroom in Skowhegan while still handcuffed on Wednesday, dramatic video showed.
He raced down the stairs and through the main hallway, where he dodged at least one person with a detective and several others were hot on his heels.
“All of sudden, we hear this huge bang. Crash. Boom,” Skowhegan town manager told the Portland Press Herald of the commotion.
“And this guy comes running down the stairs. He’s handcuffed or shackled. He’s trying to escape. Literally, he’s got his hands on the railing, coming down, trying to jump three stairs at a time. His feet weren’t shackled.”
Carter managed to exit the courthouse and made it across the street before he tripped and fell, allowing two jurors to catch up with him, followed quickly by the detective.
He was taken back into custody without incident, and now faces an additional charge of escape, the Portland Press Herald said.
Carter had just been found guilty of aggravated assault against a 14-month-old child, a Class A offense.
The jury returned the verdict on Wednesday following a three-day trial at Somerset County Superior Courthouse.
Following the verdict, a judge ordered that Carter been taken into custody and sent to the Somerset County Jail to await sentencing next month, Chief Deputy Mike Mitchell told the Portland Press Herald.
With Post wires