A registered sex offender faces a pair of criminal charges after he allegedly tried to escape from custody while being treated at the University of Iowa Health Care Campus Medical Center.
33-year-old Devin Menard is an inmate at the Johnson County Jail who was being treated at the Hawkins Drive facility Monday morning. Johnson County deputies say just before 11:00 Menard got out of his hospital bed to use the phone. At that point, he allegedly lunged at a deputy, then ran out of the room and down the Emergency Department hallway. A deputy was able to catch him and return him to his room, but not before Menard reportedly bit the officer on the hand.
Menard is charged with Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations With Intent to Injure and Escape From Custody by a Felon. If convicted on both counts, he faces a maximum of ten years in prison.
Menard was arrested in July after allegedly skipping a court date. He is currently on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry after being convicted on sexual abuse charges in 2013. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office says Menard had a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old and fondled an eight-year-old and a nine-year-old.