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Police capture state hospital escapee

COURTESY CRIMESTOPPERS

Allen Pitts

Police arrested a 47-year-old man in Waikiki who had escaped from the Hawaii State Hospital Saturday night.

At 11:10 p.m. on Monday, officers arrested Allen Pitts at or near the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort on Kalia Road.

Pitts faces charges of second-degree escape and promotion of a detrimental drug in the third-degree.

State hospital staff discovered Pitts was missing during a bed check at 8 a.m. Sunday. He escaped from the facility Saturday night after he broke a window and fled.

Pitts was committed to the hospital by court order for two separate incidents.

In 2013, Pitts stole a dump truck with an attached trailer, led police on a chase up and down Kalakaua Avenue along Kapiolani Park, damaging cars. He struck a coconut tree, jumped out of the truck and into the ocean. Officers arrested him off Sans Souci Beach.

He was charged with unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, reckless endangering and three counts of criminal property damage.

In 2014, a judge found Pitts not guilty by reason of physical or mental disorder and committed him to the state hospital.

His attorney said he was doing well when he applied and was granted conditional release in July 2015. He was living in a halfway house but Pitts “was out and about” for approximately two to three weeks.

The court issued a bench warrant in January and Pitts turned himself into police at the Waikiki substation. While there, he got into an altercation. On Apr. 19, he was indicted for assaulting a police officer and harassment.

In August, he was sent back to the state hospital after a panel of doctors determined he was unfit to proceed to trial.

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