A jail inmate who fled from custody at a hospital in Stone County on Monday was found naked, hiding under a log in a heavily wooded area, according to the sheriff's office.
Authorities say Joshua Kirby, 27, was in shackles and handcuffs when he "bolted" around 9:30 p.m. from the Stone County Medical Center in Mountain View while he was receiving treatment.
A sheriff's deputy initially attempted to catch Kirby but was unsuccessful. Authorities located and apprehended him about two hours later in the woods east of the hospital. The Arkansas Department of Correction's K-9 team was called in to assist in the search.
Kirby was initially arrested Sunday on multiple charges -- second-degree battery on law enforcement, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and public intoxication -- after a fight at 6:20 p.m. that day on Herpel Road. Authorities said they arrived at Herpel Road to find Kirby drunk and arguing with a woman.
The sheriff's office said Kirby, whose eyes were bloodshot and speech was slurred, admitted to drinking alcohol.
He later resisted arrest, bit a deputy on his right arm and struck the officer three times in the face as Kirby was "growling like a dog," according to authorities.
A sergeant with the Mountain View Police Department used a stun gun to subdue Kirby, who continued to kick and scream as he was being handcuffed.
After his escape and recapture, Kirby was taken to the Stone County jail, where he now faces an additional charge of third-degree escape, records show. He was being held at the jail in lieu of $20,000 bond, the sheriff's office said.
State Desk on 09/14/2016