Inmate who fled from Bellevue courthouse captured
Feb 28, 2014, 1:46 PM | Updated: 4:42 pm
A convicted felon who escaped while awaiting trial on robbery and other charges is back in custody, the Bellevue Police Department said Friday.
Wendell Downs III, 20, of Renton, escaped custody while being transported from the King County Jail to the district courthouse in Bellevue on January 31. Police said Downs was assisted by his girlfriend, 20-year-old Tanjanique Q. Hillis, 20, also of Renton.
Both Downs and Hillis were charged with escape in the second-degree in the case and were being sought by the U.S. Marshals Service on felony warrants.
Hillis turned herself in on January 18 and was booked into the King County Jail. She has since been released on $50,000 bail.
The escape led to immediate changes in how the Bellevue Police Department transports inmates. Namely, the department now requires that more than one police support officer be present when inmates are loaded and unloaded for court.
Downs was captured in Renton Friday afternoon by a Special Enforcement Team.
