JAMES COUNTY, Virginia – Authorities now say one of the two convicted criminals who escaped from a psychiatric hospital in Virginia on Easter has been arrested.
Employees of the East State Hospital in James City County called soldiers earlier in the day to warn them that patients Austin Preston Lee, 31, and Bryant Marcus Wilkerson, 29, had fled the facility, according to a sergeant. Michelle Anaya of Virginia Police.
Anaya said Lee, who had unfulfilled Chesapeake drug warrants, was detained by Chesapeake police at 5:45 p.m.
Lee told police he did not know Wilkerson or where he might be.
He was detained without bail at Chesapeake City Prison.
“State and local police departments are still actively searching for Wilkerson and continue to seek public assistance in any information leading to his arrest,” Anaya wrote.
Virginia State Police
Austin Preston Lee and Bryant Marcus Wilkerson
Wilkerson is wanted for probation and has also been ordered to flee a psychiatric facility.
Earlier, Anaya said both men were considered armed and dangerous.
The Eastern State Hospital, located about 45 minutes southeast of Richmond, is the first psychiatric hospital in the country and dates back to 1773. It is one of the five public psychiatric hospitals in the British Commonwealth.
Last month, a man escaped from Dinuidi County Central Hospital for the second time in less than three years. Central State, opened in 1870, was the first psychiatric institution in the United States for African Americans. This hospital was integrated in 1968 and now houses the state’s only mental health unit, according to the Virginia Behavioral Health and Development Services website.
If you have seen Wilkerson or have information about his whereabouts, call Virginia State Police at 757-424-6800, # 77 on your cell phone, or email soldiers at questions@vsp.virginia.gov.
This is an evolving story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send advice.
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