Stephen Woodard, 20, was in the East Boston Division of the Boston Municipal Court this past week answering criminal charges of Armed Robbery and Drug Charges. In custody, Woodard was in custody and was to be transported by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department to jail pending his criminal case.
Woodard, however, managed to escape from the Suffolk County Sherriff’s jail van, steal a Department of Public Works vehicle that was parked with the keys inside, and get away. Although he was chased through Chelsea, Revere, Everett and Malden, Woodard managed to abandon the DPW vehicle and escape. He is still being sought…
After having been arraigned in Charlestown District Court on Armed Robbery charges for allegedly robbing a man at knifepoint in Charlestown, Woodard was brought to the East Boston Court because he had committed the Armed Robbery while he was out on bail on unrelated Drug Crimes charges.
Typically, when prisoners are transferred from courts to the Sherriffs Department’s custody, they are handcuffed and leg-shackled prior to being taken by the Sherriffs Department’s officers. The van they are to be transported in is typically loaded in a closed garage within the courthouse to prevent any possibility of escape. Not surprisingly, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office nor the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department has not disclosed any information related to the circumstances of Woodard’s escape, nor whether the Sherriff’s Department failed to follow protocol in the transporting him.
Boston Criminal Lawyer Lefteris K. Travayiakis has extensive experience in defending persons accused of Armed Robbery and Drug Crimes, and can help explain and protect your legal rights.
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