Shawn Dempsey, 57, an inmate from Bucks County, was taken into custody Thursday night in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, after escaping supervision during a medical visit in Philadelphia in late January.
Dempsey had been serving a 218-day sentence at the Bucks County Correctional Facility for a parole violation stemming from a 2019 misdemeanor retail theft conviction. Online court records show he had violated parole conditions previously. He remained in custody on that violation when he was approved to attend medical appointments.
On January 24, prison officials permitted Dempsey to travel to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia for medical appointments. Before leaving, he signed an agreement stating that he would not leave the hospital or its grounds without notifying the Department of Corrections.
On January 27 at approximately 12:30 p.m., Dempsey was transported by Bucks County Corrections to the hospital for an appointment. During the visit, he removed his intravenous tubes and walked out of the hospital. When correctional officers returned to retrieve him, they were informed that he had left the facility. Authorities said he was last seen exiting through the 36th Street exit wearing gray sweatpants and a sweatshirt.
After he failed to return to custody, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office issued a warrant for escape on January 29. The charge is classified as a felony of the third degree.
On February 10, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Philadelphia was asked to assist in locating Dempsey, according to Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark of the United States Marshals Service.
On February 12, investigators with the Philadelphia-based task force developed information that Dempsey had fled to Harrisburg immediately after escaping the hospital. From Harrisburg, he traveled approximately 20 miles west to Carlisle. Authorities pursued numerous leads in Carlisle and determined that Dempsey was frequenting a cold weather shelter, described in a press release as a warming center.
Surveillance was established at the shelter. At approximately 10:00 p.m. Thursday night, members of the U.S. Marshals Service Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force and deputies from the Middle District of Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force observed Dempsey at the location and arrested him without incident.
Following his arrest, Dempsey was transported to Cumberland County Prison, where he awaits extradition to Bucks County. He now faces the additional felony escape charge.
