Harwich fugitive wanted on assault and other charges is arrested in Georgia
A fugitive with Cape ties who faces assault and battery and numerous other charges was captured over the weekend in rural Georgia four months after he escaped from a Boston hospital, according to a Massachusetts State Police release.
A man matching the description of Darren P. Devine, 30, of Harwich, was spotted walking on Highway 32 in Brantley County, Georgia, on Saturday, the release said. Brantley County Sheriff’s Department deputies confirmed his identify and arrested him without incident.
Massachusetts State Police had been looking for Devine since he walked away Sept. 11 from Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain. While on an outdoor break, Devine scaled a high fence in the holding facility, where he had been committed by a district court judge, and fled on foot, according to the release.
Devine is wanted in Massachusetts on multiple warrants issued by Orleans and Barnstable district courts on a host of charges, including assault with intent to rape, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, domestic assault and battery, strangulation, breaking and entering in the nighttime, vandalism, intimidation, possession of a class B narcotic with intent to distribute, larceny and motor vehicle violations, the statement said. He is also wanted on a warrant from West Roxbury District Court charging him with escaping from a penal institution.
After his escape from the hospital, the MSP Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section and members of a US Marshals Service task force in Boston searched for Devine, conducting address checks, interviews and surveillance, but did not locate him, the statement said.
Previous coverage:
West Barnstable man held without bail after Orleans dangerousness hearing
Police continue search for man wanted for assault and battery
Devine, who has ties to Chatham, Harwich and Brewster, was known by investigators to have a history of violence and an ability to hide and survive in the woods.
Massachusetts State Police and US Marshals Service task force members worked with other state and local police agencies to search for Devine in numerous locations, including in Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, along the Canadian border, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida. On Jan. 9, the Louisa County, Virginia, sheriff’s department notified authorities that Devine was a potential suspect in an active larceny investigation there.
Later that week, the state police and US Marshals received information that Devine was traveling by car with his brother in the area of Savannah, Georgia, the statement said. On Thursday, US Marshals with assistance from the Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Correction and deputies from various sheriffs’ departments located Devine’s brother, Jordan Devine, at a convenience store, arrested him and charged him with impeding an investigation and possession of narcotics.
Officers from multiple Georgia agencies, using foot patrols, K-9s and helicopters, converged on a 3,000-acre, heavily-wooded swath of land where Darren Devine was believed to be camping, the statement said. On Friday evening, deputies and officers tracked him to a swamp and established a perimeter to ensure he could not escape. The next morning, Devine was spotted on the highway and arrested.
Devine was booked and is being held at the Brantley County Jail pending rendition to Massachusetts to answer to charges.
Contact Gregory Bryant at gbryant@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @GregBryantCCT.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Harwich man wanted on assault and other charges arrested in Georgia
