Dinwiddie, state police looking for man who fled Central State Hospital Tuesday afternoon
DINWIDDIE — Authorities are looking for a man they say escaped from Central State Hospital Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Dinwiddie Sheriff's Office, Richard Wilson Garrett ran away from hospital staff taking him between buildings around 2:20 p.m. Tuesday. Garrett has a history of assault, the office said.
He is a white male, about 5-feet-11 and weighing 165 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black jacket and black stocking cap.
The sheriff's office said it is using tracking dogs to find him. The Virginia State Police also is assisting in the search
On Facebook, some people reported seeing a man matching Garrett's description hitchhiking on U.S. Route 460. Several of them wrote that they thought it was odd because they rarely see anyone walking along that highway.
"We came back through around 6:30-7 and didn't see anyone, so [he] must have got a ride," one posted.
Anyone who may have seen Garrett is asked to contact the Dinwiddie Sheriff's Office at Anyone who has information on the whereabouts of Richard Garrett should contact Dinwiddie County Sheriff’s Office at (804) 469-4550 or their local law-enforcement department.
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is daily news coach for USA TODAY's Southeast Region-Unified Central, which includes Virginia, West Virginia and central North Carolina. He is based in Petersburg, Virginia. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Authorities look for man who escaped from a Virginia mental hospital
