(Carroll County, GA) At approximately 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 20, 2020, a patient on the inpatient unit of Willowbrooke at TannerÂ’s Villa Rica campus fled from the facility. As Willowbrooke at Tanner staff responded outside in an effort to bring the patient back into the facility, the patient left the facility in an ambulance that was on premises to transport another patient.
The patient being transported exited the ambulance with a staff member before the vehicle was put into motion by the eloping patient.
The patient left the Willowbrooke at Tanner property in the ambulance, traveling down McCurdy Road and abandoning the ambulance at the intersection of Harlan Lane Road and McCurdy Road. The patient attempted to stop several private vehicles.
Multiple law enforcement agencies — including the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Villa Rica Police Department, the Georgia State Patrol and the Department of Public Safety Motor Carrier Compliance Division — responded and safely apprehended the patient at 10:05 a.m. in a field off Harlan Lane Road. No injuries were reported during the incident.
The patient is currently detained at Carroll CountyÂ’s Jack T. Bell Detention Center. Willowbrooke at Tanner staff are working with the sheriffÂ’s office to help continue coordination of the patientÂ’s care. Carroll County investigators advise that this is an active investigation and more details will be released later.
NOTE: This is a joint release from the Carroll County SheriffÂ’s Office and Tanner Health System
