Federal prisoner who escaped from custody outside KC hospital is captured

U.S. Marshals arrested on Wednesday a federal prisoner who escaped the night before.

A Crime Stoppers tip led marshals to a home in Kansas City, where they arrested Larence Garth shortly before 1 p.m.

Garth, a Kansas City man who is in his mid-30s, escaped after receiving medical treatment from Truman Medical Center. His original federal charges were for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

At the time of his escape, Garth was handcuffed to a chain that was padlocked around his waist.

Though he had been treated at the hospital, he was “no longer a patient at TMC” at the time of his escape, the hospital said in a release.

Mike Stokes, a supervisory deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service, said Garth was being led to a transport van from the hospital when he broke away. At the time, he was in custody of a federal contractor.

Stokes said the darkness contributed to the inability to recapture Garth.

“He didn’t hurt anybody, no struggle — he just ran away,” Stokes said.

A reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Garth’s capture was offered.

Garth had been seen running east from the hospital along 24th Street toward Bruce R. Watkins Drive. Garth attempted to flag down a ride from at least one passerby who refused.

This story was originally published January 31, 2018 at 7:17 AM with the headline "Federal prisoner who escaped from custody outside KC hospital is captured."