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Inmate with violent past escapes from county jail
By TAMARA LUSH, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- A man who has been arrested nearly 40 times by local authorities -- most recently for attempted felony murder -- escaped Wednesday night from the Orient Road Jail. David Wiggins, 41, told corrections deputies Wednesday afternoon that he was having chest pains. At 3 p.m., he was sent to the jail's clinic. At least one jail employee saw him at 4:30 p.m. During a routine head count at 7 p.m., Wiggins was nowhere to be found. "He used some ruse to get out of there," said Lt. Rod Reder. "He didn't dig his way out or cut bars or anything." It was only the second escape in the jail's 12-year history. In 1995, a jail employee left a gate in the exercise yard open, and four inmates walked out. They were caught within half an hour, Reder said. Wiggins "has already broken the record for the longest escape," he said. Wiggins, who listed his employment on jail records as a tree surgeon, was jailed on March 27 after leading deputies on a chase that ended in a crash on Ewell Road and County Line Road S in eastern Hillsborough County. He was charged with felony fleeing to elude along with several outstanding warrants, including aggravated assault and a domestic violence-related charge of attempted felony murder. "He's had a long criminal history, a lot of arrests, a lot of violent crimes," Reder said. Records show that Wiggins, of 3311 Nesmith Road in Plant City, has faced dozens of charges of battery. He also has been charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, false imprisonment, grand theft and writing worthless checks. Reder said that anyone who sees Wiggins should assume he is extremely dangerous and call authorities immediately. "Dial 911," Reder said. "Don't call information, don't call the jail." The jail is looking into how Wiggins escaped.
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From the Times Ernest Hooper |
