Vet who fled State Hospital detained

A U.S. Army combat veteran accused of raping a minor was captured Monday after escaping Saturday evening from the Arkansas State Hospital, authorities said.

U.S. Marshals captured James Barrett, 34, about 3 p.m. Monday in the parking lot of a Motel 6 on Union Avenue in Memphis, U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Kevin Sanders said.

Sanders said Barrett was discovered in the vehicle of a white female and that marshals are investigating the possibility that she drove him from Little Rock to Memphis. No charges have been filed against the woman.

Department of Human Services spokesman Amy Webb said it is now believed that Barrett used a chair to climb over a fence during “fresh-air” time at the hospital.

Webb said hospital administrators are conducting an internal review to determine if any action is warranted regarding Barrett’s escape.

Barrett is charged in the March 29, 2015, rape of a person younger than 14 years old, according to court records. Testing showed that Barrett’s DNA matched that of a rape kit taken from the victim, according to amended felony information provided to the court.

Perry L. Wyse, chief of the Arkansas State Hospital Police Department, said Barrett will face a third-degree escape charge. After missing a scheduled court appearance Monday because he was a fugitive, Barrett also faces a charge of failure to appear, according to court documents.

Barrett’s attorney Lynn Frank Plemmons said in May that Barrett would use the defenses of mental disease or defect and involuntary intoxication, according to court documents.

Sanders said Barrett was taken to the Shelby County sheriff’s office in Tennessee, but will be transferred to the Pulaski County jail within 24 hours.

Court documents said Barrett is a U.S. Army combat veteran who served in Afghanistan and has received treatment at Army and Veterans Administration facilities.

Plemmons requested a mental examination for Barrett on Aug. 31, 2016, according to court records. That request was granted.

The Department of Human Services behavioral health services was given the task of assessing Barrett’s mental capacity to stand trial. It found that Barrett “lacked the capacity to rationally and effectively assist his attorney due to substantial impairment from anxiety and depression.”

A later report from the inmate’s physician said Barrett was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder.

Circuit Judge Charles E. Clawson wrote in a letter to the case’s respective attorneys in March 2017 that instead of finding Barrett unfit for trial, Barrett would receive treatment for his anxiety and depression until such time that he could stand trial.

Clawson ordered that Barrett receive treatment in the Arkansas State Hospital, according to court documents, and he began his treatment in October 2017.

Barrett remained at the hospital until Saturday, when he escaped just two days before his next scheduled court appearance.