By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – A man with two warrants for his arrest added more charges after he broke free from police custody and ran from officers Feb. 12.
Alexander Vasquez Wood, 36, of Safford, was arrested and booked into the Graham County Adult Detention Facility on two outstanding warrants and charges of disorderly conduct and escape in the third degree.
According to a Safford Police report, Wood caused a disturbance at the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center. Wood told officers that he checked himself into the hospital because he was having a panic attack.
Officers were dispatched to the hospital about 7:52 p.m. regarding a disorderly patient and staff security advised they were first alerted to Wood’s presence by housekeeping staff, who said they saw a suspicious man crouching around the dumpsters in the housekeeping area.
Before security could investigate, Wood came into the lobby and began to check himself in, according to the security officer’s statement to police. However, once told he had to change into a gown, Wood allegedly did not wish to stay and ran from the hospital and caused a commotion in the Emergency Room. Staff also reported Wood banged on an ambulance’s doors and they thought he was going to break the doors.
Wood was taken into the hospital by security and handcuffed. Upon police arrival, he was placed in a patrol vehicle with the door open as an officer spoke to County Dispatch.
Wood then apparently heard dispatch mention he had two active warrants for his arrest – one from a 2017 case regarding a guilty plea of theft of a credit card and the other from another 2017 case regarding a guilty plea of possession of a narcotic drug and a second deferred sentencing charge of possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person in which a petition to revoke his probation had been filed.
During the incident at the hospital, staff advised they believed Wood to be under the influence of some type of drug and that he required medical assistance. After hearing of his warrants, however, when officers attempted to change out his hospital handcuffs with their own, Wood ran from the car.
Officers gave chase on foot and by a patrol vehicle. A third officer who heard the commotion over the radio drove to the rear of the hospital and caught up with Wood as he attempted to jump over a cement culvert. Wood was unsuccessful and was taken into custody in the culvert. He was later examined by a doctor and given medical approval to be booked into the jail.
When asked why he ran, Wood allegedly responded, “because I don’t want to go back to prison.” He was then transported and booked into the jail.
