Chief Ryan Columbus reports that the Tewksbury Police Department arrested and charged a Hingham man with assault and battery, among other charges, after he escaped from the Tewksbury State Hospital.
BENJAMIN HIRTLE, AGE 27, of HINGHAM, was arrested and charged with:
- Assault and Battery on a Public Employee
- Escape from Penal Institution/Court
- Assault
- Attempt to Commit a Crime to wit Unarmed Robbery (Two Counts)
On Thursday, Oct. 10, at about 9:30 a.m., Tewksbury Police responded to the Tewksbury State Hospital for reports of employees who had been assaulted.
An initial investigation revealed that HIRTLE allegedly assaulted two hospital employees and then escaped from the area. Police were given a description of the suspect.
Further investigation revealed that HIRTLE was being held at the hospital because his bail had been revoked on a pending charge of enticing a minor in Hingham.
During a subsequent search, officers located HIRTLE in the area of Livingston Street. HIRTLE was arrested without further incident.
Tewksbury Police were able to apprehend HIRTLE quickly before a CodeRed notification could be sent out. Due to its proximity to the hospital, John Wynn Middle School was notified of the incident immediately, and students and staff were kept inside of the building as a precaution.
HIRTLE is scheduled to be arraigned in Lowell District Court on Friday, Oct. 11.
“My number one priority is the Tewksbury community and it concerns me that the security at the State Hospital is not adequate. This individual escaped a locked unit and made it into our community and that is unacceptable,” said Chief Columbus. “I am pleading once again with the State to fix this problem immediately. I am grateful for my officers who responded quickly and apprehended this individual, but this needs to be corrected for the safety of our residents.”
These are allegations. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.