Inmate located 6 days after escaping

Man caught after fleeing deputies during hospital visit.

An inmate who escaped from deputies while in cus- tody at a hospital has been located, the Newton County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

Kendrick Darnell Hurst, 34, ran from deputies last

Saturday at Piedmont New- ton Hospital. He fled before he could be transported back to the jail, investigators said.

Hurst had been spotted in the days since his escape. No details were released on where he was apprehended.

“There is still an ongoing investigation into this matter to determine who aided him in the escape,” the sheriff ’s office said in a social media post Friday.

Hurst was arrested April 28 and charged with fleeing police, terroristic threats and acts, willful obstruction of law enforcement officers, and countless traffic viola- tions, the sheriff ’s office said.

The sheriff ’s office did not say how long Hurst had been in the hospital or why he was being treated. An investiga- tion was underway to deter- mine how Hurst was able to escape, Sheriff Ezell Brown said after the escape.

“Rest assured, there is an ongoing internal investigation to determine if there were any failures in following protocol,” the sheriff said. “As always, should any wrongdoing be discovered, appropriate action will be taken.”

According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, Hurst was released from prison in October 2022 after serving nearly 14 years for a kidnapping conviction in Newton.

VN Pho in Morrow failed a routine health inspection with cleanliness and food storage violations.

The insides of two microwave ovens and a convection oven were dirty with old food debris and residue, and the ice machine lid had black residue.

Excessive grease and dust accumulation was on ceiling tiles throughout the kitchen.

VN Pho scored 63/U, down from 80/B. It will be reinspected.

Foods were improperly stored in the coolers and were at risk of cross-contamination. Raw beef was behind cut onions, and raw chicken was behind an open container of butter and two bottles of sauce in the prep cooler.

In another cooler, the uncooked and cooked beef were beside one another. And in the walk-in cooler, raw meat and eggs were next to multiple containers of ready-to-eat sauces.

Among other violations, employees did not wash their hands after being contaminated and were washing in cold water.

Employees used the hand sink to fill cleaning buckets and rinse containers.

VN PHO

6363 Jonesboro Road, Morrow. Score: 63/U.

ACROSS METRO ATLANTA

Here are other recent inspection scores for area restaurants.

■ Canyons Fresh Grill, 1359 Riverstone Parkway, Canton. 99/A

■ Firehouse Subs, 1353 Riverstone Parkway, Canton. 97/A

■ LongHorn Steakhouse, 1375 Riverstone Parkway, Canton. 87/B

■ Steak ’n Shake, 120 Lauren Lane, Woodstock. 81/B

■ Zaxby’s, 1385 Riverstone Parkway, Canton. 100/A

■ Broadway Diner, 535 S. Glynn St., Fayetteville. 82/B

■ Chick-fil-A, 2720 Ga. 54 W., Peachtree City. 87/B

■ Panda Express, 1195 Ga. 85, Fayetteville. 100/A

■ Rincocito Azteca

Bar & Grill, 725 E. Lanier Ave., Fayetteville. 96/A

■ The Flying Biscuit Cafe, 2874 Ga. 54 W., Peachtree City. 97/A

■ Beto’s Tacos, 5530 Windward Parkway, Alpharetta. 100/A

■ Buckhead Pizza Co., 3324 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. 99/A

■ Kyuramen, 735 N. Main St., Alpharetta. 93/A

■ Mellow Mushroom, 931 Monroe Drive, Atlanta. 91/A