Police say Butler man slips handcuffs, attempts to flee
A Butler man is sitting in jail after police said he escaped from the back of a police cruiser and a set of handcuffs.
Matthew G. Hibbard, 26, allegedly ran from police April 7 as they were taking him for blood testing at Butler Memorial Hospital. Hibbard had been arrested earlier that night under suspicion of driving under the influence.
“Hibbard had slipped his handcuff inside the patrol vehicle and was running southbound through the (Butler Memorial Hospital) parking lot,” said the investigating officer.Hibbard is being held in Butler County Prison on $50,000 bail set by District Judge William Fullerton at his arraignment Thursday.According to charging documents, city police received a report around 9 a.m. of a man slumped over in his still-running vehicle.Police said they found Hibbard in the driver's seat of a green Honda. Police said they put the man through field sobriety tests, which indicated he was impaired.“Once Hibbard had been removed from his vehicle, officers observed a glass smoking pipe with burn cocaine residue inside on the driver's seat,” the officer said.According to police, they also received information from a probation officer that Hibbard had run from him the day before by leaping off a balcony.The documents said police arrested Hibbard as a suspect for driving under the influence, and they took him to the hospital for confirmation through blood testing.Police said they were helping Hibbard from the vehicle when he told them he was going to be sick, taking extra time to exit the vehicle. Police said as he stepped out of the vehicle, Hibbard fled on foot through the parking lot to the woods on the far side.According to documents, in the early part of the pursuit, police unsuccessfully tried using a Taser. Police said they eventually caught Hibbard in the area of the 400 block of East Butler Road after they chased him through heavily wooded areas.Hibbard has been charged with felony counts of escape and fleeing from police. He also has been charged with misdemeanors of resisting arrest, DUI and possessing drug paraphernalia.Hibbard's preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled April 26.
