Video shows man escaping Rochester Hills courthouse after being sentenced to jail

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. – A man ran from a courtroom after being sentenced to 90 days in jail.

Officers were able to catch up with him in a wooded area and put handcuffs on him.

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said the situation could have turned dangerous.

"Lots of times, police officers get killed with their own weapon if they lose a fight. Luckily, that didn't happen here, but that's our concern. An unarmed person does not mean they aren't dangerous," Bouchard said.

There is a protocol in place that police said the judge didn't follow. The judge is supposed to give police a heads-up when someone is being sent to jail and deputies are needed.

"We asked judges to do that, but they run their own courtrooms so sometimes they do it before our deputy gets there, and that's typically when we have problems," Bouchard said.

Watch the full video below:


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Jason is Local 4’s utility infielder. In addition to anchoring the morning newscast, he often reports on a variety of stories from the tragic, like the shootings at Michigan State, to the off-beat, like great gas station food.

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