Citrus escapee still at large

By LOGAN NEILL, Times Staff Writer
Published January 14, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT James Coursey, 49, is described as 6 feet 2, 200 pounds, with light brown curly hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue jail inmate uniform. [AP photo]

LECANTO - An escaped Citrus County prisoner attacked a homeowner with a hammer Sunday morning and continued to elude a 100-member search team after nightfall.

James Coursey, 49, was being held on burglary and theft charges when he escaped from the Citrus County Detention Facility about 3:30 p.m. Friday.

Throughout the weekend, Citrus County sheriff's deputies searched a 2-mile wide area near Leisure Acres, a subdivision near the jail complex off of County Road 491. They found no trace of Coursey.

A homeowner identified only as a Leisure Acres resident found Coursey in his shed at 10:40 a.m. Sunday. Startled, Coursey grabbed a hammer and hit the man on the head before fleeing. The man suffered minor wounds and was not hospitalized.

Citrus County sheriff's spokeswoman Heather Yates said Coursey fled southward on foot, still armed with the hammer. More than 100 officers were called in to help with the search. They included members of Citrus County sheriff's aviation unit aboard helicopters, K-9 deputies, bloodhounds from the Florida Department of Corrections and personnel from the Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Citrus County Detention Facility spokeswoman Julia Swart said Coursey, jailed on charges of grand theft and burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, was in the Trusty Program and was assigned to work indoors and outdoors at the 760-bed facility.

Yates said that the search was pared back as darkness approached, but authorities would continue looking throughout the night. "We want to find this guy and put the community at ease," Yates said.

Coursey is described as 6 feet 2, 200 pounds, with light brown curly hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue jail inmate uniform.

Citrus County sheriff's deputies urge anyone who comes across Coursey to immediately call 911 and to not approach him.

Logan Neill can be reached at lneill@sptimes or 848-1435.

[Last modified January 13, 2008, 21:57:48]