Escapee gets 30 years

KENTLAND, Ind - A man who escaped while being escorted to the Newton County Courthouse in Kentland was sentenced to 30 and a half years in prison.

On January 26, Anthony Ray Fisher, 36, of Cedar Lake, Indiana, was being escorted to the courthouse for his trial on theft charges.  Police said while an officer was escorting Fisher from the jail to the courthouse another man pulled a gun and fled with Fisher. Fisher was arrested a few days later in South Bend.

Newton County Prosecutor Ed Barce said the sentences for theft, escape, attempted escape, and being a habitual offender were ordered to run consecutively. That means the sentences will be served one after the other.

Barce said a jury found Fisher guilty of the theft charges. He later pleaded guilty to attempted escape, escape and being a habitual offender. Barce said the attempted escape charge stemmed from an earlier incident at the jail. Detective Dustin Gary said Fisher had apparently been contemplating an escape. He was caught with hacksaw blades about a month ago, cutting on some windows at the jail. "We think it came in on a legal pad," said Gary. "Three blades were put in the legal pad, then glued back together. It was labeled as if it was from an attorney. Normally we don't check those closely, but we have changed our policy."

  
The man who police said helped Fisher escape, James Daher, Junior, 51 of Indianapolis, is awaiting trial.