On Thursday, Nicholas Carter, 31, tried to flee Somerset County Courthouse in Skowhegan in handcuffs.
The Kennebec Journal reported that Carter sprinted out of the courtroom, down the stairs, eventually out of the building before crossing the street. While many police officers and court officials chased him immediately, it was two jurors who grabbed and held Carter after he tripped and fell that prevented him from escaping.
The Journal reported that the jurors held onto Carter until police were able to reach and apprehend him.
According to Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster, Carter was found guilty of aggravated assault against a 14-month-old child. The judge had ordered him back into the custody of Somerset County Sheriff's Office, to be sent to the Somerset County Jail in Madison in order to await sentencing. Prior to his trial, Carter had been out on bail.
Skowhegan's town manager Dawn DiBlasi had been inside the building when jumped the bar and exited the courtroom through its rear door, used by members of the public to travel in and out of the gallery.
"All of sudden, we hear this huge bang. Crash. Boom," DiBlasi told journalists at the Portland Press Herald. "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 now faces the charge of escape in addition to his prior charges, Lancaster said. He was taken back into police custody without incident.
