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    LA police search for escapee who stalked Madonna

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police are asking for the public's help in locating a man who was convicted of threatening to kill Madonna and walked away from a Los Angeles-area mental hospital last week.

    Los Angeles police say Robert Dewey Hoskins left the state hospital Friday. He had been committed there last year.

    Hoskins, 54, is "highly psychotic" and can be extremely violent and should not be approached by members of the public, police said in a news release Thursday. They urged anyone who sees him to call authorities immediately.

    Hoskins served a 10-year prison sentence for stalking and threatening Madonna after being convicted by a jury in 1996. The singer reluctantly testified against the man, who was shot by her personal security after he jumped the fence of her Hollywood Hills home.

    Court records show he was convicted of vandalism in July 2011.

    Police say they have searched areas where Hoskins may try to go, including the city of Long Beach south of Los Angeles, but they have been unable to find him.

     

    69 comments

    • carlo  •  3 mths ago
      It's good to know that highly psychotic people can just walk out of wherever they are being held.
      Good security!
      • James Bond 3 mths ago
        Lets take this a notch back, this has more to do with liberal court system assigning him to a treatment facility. The first thing people think about is poor security. Its all about rights while you are incarcerated now. ACLU! Hospitals are run differently than correctional facilities but eventually it will all be the same more treatment less correctional officers. reduction of outside security to save money, more counselors, enabling faster release to society. Its all about cost $129 per day per inmate.
    • JP  •  Portland, Maine  •  3 mths ago
      He's "highly psychotic" and "extremely violent", but was able to just "walk away" from the mental hospital where he was supposed to be confined?!? Am I reading this right? Why the heck wasn't he under some kind of guard, since he was there as a result of a criminal conviction?
      • DAMIANM 3 mths ago
        Uhmmm 10 year sentence in '96? Unless they had a civil commitment at the end of his sentence he got loose and taken back in. He could be a meek as a kitten except where she is concerned. Never looks good to lose a wacko though.
      • JP 3 mths ago
        It's a really short article, DAMIANM, so you could at least bother to read it before commenting. It quotes the police as saying that members of the public should NOT approach him because he is "highly psychotic" and "EXTREMELY VIOLENT". Does that sound like someone who is "meek as a kitten" with anyone other than Madonna? Nope. Also, it says he was committed again after being arrested again last year. Try reading next time.
    • Sycho  •  3 mths ago
      This is just really stupid.
      Staff: "Hey officer, we had a lunatic escape the institution!!"
      Officer: "Ok, did you see where the suspect went?"
      Staff: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
      • Tanjanialexis 3 mths ago
        OK i just love that face you did at the end of your comment!!!
      • Sycho 3 mths ago
        Why, thank you! I think it fit the moment perfectly.
    • larry r  •  3 mths ago
      so glad i live in california where mental psychos can walk around,and we have no laws allowing self defense.....
      • The Real Deal 3 mths ago
        I dont imagine there is room to house all of california.
    • Jboi28  •  3 mths ago
      I remember when this happened. She had to testify against this guy and didn't want to. People are so crazy.
    • Vet 60-64  •  3 mths ago
      California IS one big mental facility.. You reap what you sow...chaos..
    • n7rue.com  •  Phoenix, Arizona  •  3 mths ago
      I can see the Headlines now.....Nut,Bolts and Screws Madonna. He most likely escaped by running down the Psycho Path
      • AmberMichelle 3 mths ago
        That was cute, but this is just too scary to joke about. ;)
      • Sycho 3 mths ago
        HEY! Leave me outta this! (ツ)
    • Victoria Two  •  3 mths ago
      That particular cracker factory needs a new security model.
    • Jeffrey Lingford  •  Milwaukee, Wisconsin  •  3 mths ago
      ok, so asking for help finding someone, but you dont put a picture of the creep in with the story. dosent sound like your willing to help get the creep caught. and you guys are proffeshional news people. maybe i spelled it wrong, but yu know what i am talking about
    • Jay  •  Knoxville, Tennessee  •  3 mths ago
      Apparently, he has been doing the same thing to Halle Berry.
    • Revolution  •  3 mths ago
      nice...no picture. How is the public supposed to identify this guy?
    • Suit of Flames  •  3 mths ago
      Quick, someone put a wig and a cone bra on Newt Gingrich
    • offgrid 136  •  3 mths ago
      Is this perhaps a byproduct of what the greed and examples set forth by hollywood, singers and hold out "athletes" bring to the table these days? Enjoy folks!!!
    • WHO  •  Los Angeles, California  •  3 mths ago
      he was so crazy that every one thought he was normal..Imagine that.
    • Kathy  •  Medina, Ohio  •  3 mths ago
      Maybe he was at the superbowl bash watching her...the community can feel safe knowing that phychos can just walk out of the hospitals. don't they lock the doors at these places? hope they find this screwball before he does something. Kudos to you, hospital
    • hueyfann  •  San Diego, California  •  3 mths ago
      He looks harmless!
    • newheadlines  •  3 mths ago
      nice high security there right? wow another nut on the lose In America
    • R.T. Arcand  •  Minneapolis, Minnesota  •  3 mths ago
      Use Tom Cruise as bait.
    • Echo  •  3 mths ago
      How will i know it's him,will he be the one wearing the "I want to kill Madonna" T shirt?
    • Norma  •  Rochester, Indiana  •  3 mths ago
      Why wasn't this highly psychotic person locked up in a room and not being able to move around? With his background he should have been in a room all by himself. He apparently was allowed to walk the grounds. How could someone just like this just walk away? This is so creepy..
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