Man escapes from cell while handcuffed
SAXONBURG — It may not have been a great escape. But it was a pretty good one.
A borough man accused of firing a shotgun Saturday across Butler Road with neighbors nearby later allegedly broke out of the holding cell at the Saxonburg police station.
By hand, according to police, Thomas M. Flack Jr., 47, broke the door handle and lock to make his short-lived flight to freedom.
“That probably took a lot of strength,” Saxonburg police Chief Joe Beachem admitted Monday.
What's more, the detainee's hands were in cuffs in front of him and he was wearing a transport belt.
lack, still wearing handcuffs, made it out the garage door and about 30 feet, before he was recaptured in the parking lot. He apparently was waiting for police to get him.
“He stated that he was wondering if we were going to find him,” police said in their complaint against him.
Flack was subsequently taken to Butler County Prison on charges in the alleged shooting and the suspected jail break, and later released after posting $50,000 bail.
Read more about the case in the Butler Eagle.
