A Cookeville man on Monday avoided arrest for violating probation by running out the front door of the justice center.
Deputies with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office charged Joseph Edward Hayes with one count of escape. The 33-year-old remains behind bars on $5,000 bond.
The incident happened in Circuit Criminal Court when officers tried to arrest Hayes for violating probation. An arrest report said the defendant ran out the front doors as the officer retrieved handcuffs from another lawman.
Authorities eventually found Hayes hiding in the bathroom at the Jefferson Avenue Dollar General.
