SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A man who escaped from Altamonte Springs police last week was in the Seminole County jail Tuesday. A judge gave Ridgh Achille no bond Tuesday afternoon.
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There is now an internal investigation into the officer who arrested him. Altamonte Springs police officials say they want to make sure all procedures were followed and none were violated, during and after the arrest. Officer Denise Dalton is still on the job until the investigation is finished.
Achille is in jail, where he was supposed to go last Friday after he was arrested for allegedly stealing a pair of pricey sunglasses from the Solstice Store inside the Altamonte Springs Mall. A team of Central Florida investigators caught him in Orange County at the intersection of Anderson Road and South Conway Road ( see map ) Monday night.
"We set up a perimeter. He tried to run, but he ran right into the perimeter, but he had nowhere to go," said Lt. James Clark, Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
Achille now faces felony escape charges instead of just theft.
The higher ups at the Altamonte Springs Police Department are trying to figure out if there was something Officer Dalton could have done to prevent him from escaping in the first place. She used department issued "flex cuffs" instead of metal handcuffs to arrest Achille. On his way to jail, he asked Officer Dalton to roll down his window, because he was claustrophobic. That's when he stuck his arms out the window, opened the door and took off.
"Where is he?" an officer said over a radio call.
"Right in front of the jail at county home. I just stopped at the light, and he pulled out," another officer replied.
During Monday night's capture of Achille, Altamonte Springs police got help from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Seminole County deputies, Orlando police and the U.S. Marshal's Service. Achille's previous criminal record includes arrests for false imprisonment, battery and burglary.
There is nothing in the department's policy that doesn't allow officers to roll down the windows for a suspect, but now the police department may add barriers to the back windows of its patrol cars.
Dalton started as a community service officer ten years ago and worked her way up to a patrol officer.
Achille is scheduled to be back in court August 3 where he will get a chance to enter a plea.
Previous Stories: July 19, 2010: Changes Possible At PD After Prisoner Escapes July 18, 2010: Escaped Suspect Contacts Channel 9