The man who escaped from Howard County General Hospital was sentenced to five years in prison Monday for violation of probation on an earlier drug conviction.
Howard County Circuit Court Judge Lenore Gelfman sentenced Joaquin Leycock, 29, of Columbia, despite his statements that he was trying to “wean himself off drugs.”
On Oct. 31, 2000, Leycock was convicted of possession with the intent to distribute drugs and received a suspended sentence, but he violated probation, Gelfman said.
Leycock said he slipped back into using drugs after a year because of family problems.
On July 26, Howard County police caught Leycock, who escaped from Howard County General Hospital.
He was taken into custody after detectives learned he was hiding at a house in the 5300 block of Carriage Court in Baltimore, police said.
In recent weeks, authorities said Leycock had attempted to swim from police in a pond after a traffic stop and escaped from the hospital taking a $6,000 heart monitor.
Police observed Leycock speeding July 6 in the area of Snowden River Parkway and Dried Earth Road in Columbia and saw drugs inside the vehicle, reports said.
He jumped into a nearby pond, where he began to drown, causing the officer to rescueLeycock, police said.
Leycock was taken to the Howard County hospital where he was found to have medical complications from his near-drowning.
