An inmate escaped from Grady Memorial Hospital while under the watch of Atlanta City Detention Center staff during a medical visit, prompting a citywide search. Amy Hightower, a 53-year-old woman, reportedly slipped away from custody yesterday afternoon, according to Atlanta police. She had been detained the previous day after a traffic stop revealed she had several outstanding warrants for shoplifting.
Authorities say that Hightower was waiting for medical treatment at the hospital at the time of her escape, around 12:26 p.m., as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. Prior to her escape, she had provided officers with a false name during the arrest. The incident marks the latest in a troubling trend of detainees absconding from the facility — a second such occurrence within a year.
Concern runs deep with city officials over the recurring security breaches. "Obviously, whoever was assigned to watch this person wasn’t watching them," said Michael Bond, a council member in Atlanta. He expressed grave concerns over the liability these incidents pose to the city. Bond, a former corrections officer who now holds a seat on the city council, emphasized the need for dedicated Atlanta correction officers, rather than state DOC officers or contractors, to staff the hospital. "You don’t want a contractor at all at Grady…you want Atlanta correction officers," Bond told FOX 5.
Interim Corrections Chief Elder Dancy has acknowledged the challenges in hiring and retention within the corrections department during a time that saw officers searching for Hightower and investigating her escape. "Like most departments, hiring and retention have been challenging for us," Dancy said in a statement obtained by FOX 5. He assured that steps were being taken to fill vacant positions and bolster resource allocation to Grady within the next few months.
The hospital's security protocols have come under scrutiny, with a policy requiring law enforcement to maintain one-to-one oversight of inmates during medical treatments. In response to the incident, Grady officials stated that it is the responsibility of the custodial law enforcement agency to supervise inmates according to the policy. Currently, police have advised that there is no threat to public safety in light of the escape and are continuing the search for Hightower, who now faces additional charges of giving a false name and escape, as per the information provided by Atlanta News First.
