A woman in orange jail clothing fled from a Duluth hospital after being warned she was in custody and not free to leave, according to the complaint.
Bobbie Sue McElmury faces three charges in Saint Louis County District Court: escape from custody, fleeing a peace officer on foot and obstructing legal process.
According to the complaint, Duluth police took McElmury into custody on October 23 for a felony warrant out of Pine County. Officers brought her to the jail, where she attempted to assault corrections staff. While staff were securing her, McElmury became injured and needed to be cleared at Essentia Hospital in Duluth.
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At the hospital, an officer told McElmury she was in custody and warned her that leaving would result in additional charges for escape from custody. The complaint states McElmury then fled the hospital while still wearing orange jail clothing.
The next day, an officer went to an address in Duluth and found McElmury. The officer told her she was under arrest, but McElmury refused to come out. She stood up, opened a corner window and jumped outside, according to the complaint.
McElmury ran to a nearby parking lot and climbed on top of a truck. Additional officers arrived and had to pull her off the truck and physically pin her down in the bed, as she continued to resist by keeping her hands underneath her, the complaint says.
The charges allege McElmury escaped from lawful custody, fled officers on foot and interfered with officers attempting to arrest her.
The complaint was filed October 27.
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Jurisdictional Context
Saint Louis County is Minnesota’s largest county by area, stretching from Duluth to the Canadian border. The Saint Louis County Attorney’s Office prosecutes felonies through the Sixth Judicial District; cases are heard at courthouses in Duluth, Hibbing and Virginia.
