Inmate who fled Iowa City hospital recaptured in Quad Cities

IOWA CITY - A man jailed on robbery charges who fled from University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics late Tuesday was captured last night in the Quad Cities.

Details of the rearrest of Anthony M. Koehlhoeffer, 20, weren't immediately available, but Iowa City investigators said they learned of it around 6 p.m.

Koehlhoeffer was taken to the hospital Tuesday night for unspecified treatment and fled around 11:30 p.m., police said.

Around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, a carjacking was reported at 2875 Commerce Dr. in Iowa City. The vehicle was soon involved in an accident in the area of Highway 6 and Heinz Road, police said, and the driver - described as a white male in a hospital gown - fled the scene.

A few hours later, another driver reported that she'd been carjacked by a man believed to be Koehlhoeffer, and that he had forced her to drive him 55 miles east to Davenport. Koehlhoeffer fled on foot and left her in her vehicle, said Iowa City Police Sgt. Denise Brotherton. The woman was not injured and did not know whether he had a weapon, Brotherton said.

Iowa City schools went into a light lockdown for several hours Wednesday morning as a precaution, and University of Iowa students also were alerted via the campus notification system.

Koehlhoeffer, originally of Fairfield, was being held on two counts of first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, two counts of assault on a police officer, assault on a police office causing injury, second-degree criminal mischief and interference with official acts causing injury.

Police: Inmate who escaped from hospital has likely left area

UPDATE: Although he hasn't yet been captured, police now believe an inmate who escaped from University Hospitals Tuesday night is no longer in Johnson County.

According to police, 20-year-old jail inmate Anthony Koehlhoeffer escaped while receiving treatment at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and remained on the run 10 hours later. Police say he stole at least two vehicles and made a woman drive him to Davenport.

Koehlhoeffer is described as a white male, 5 feet 11 inches tall, with a skinny build. He was last known to be wearing a hospital gown, flip flops, and a white and blue hooded sweatshirt.

Koehlhoeffer was taken to the hospital Tuesday night for treatment of an unspecified issue. He fled the hospital  around 11:30 p.m., stealing a vehicle in the process. It's believed he fled south from Iowa City.

At around 5:30 a.m. today, a carjacking was reported at 2875 Commerce Dr. in Iowa City. The vehicle collided with another vehicle shortly thereafter in the area of Highway 6 and Heinz Road. The driver, described as a white male in a hospital gown, fled the scene. A witness in the area reported seeing a man matching this description, and Iowa City police found footprints leading south from the area south of Highway 6.

Police notified schools in southeast Iowa City to go into lockdown on Wednesday morning.

Then within hours, police said another woman reported that she was carjacked by a man believed to be Koehlhoeffer, and that he forced her to drive him 55 miles east to Davenport. Koehlhoeffer fled on foot and left her in her vehicle, Brotherton said, adding the woman was not injured and she did not know whether he had a weapon.

Police say Koehlhoeffer is assumed to be dangerous, and citizens should not make contact with him but call 911 immediately if they see an individual matching his description. Police Sgt. Brotherton had earlier cautioned city residents to lock their doors, call 911 immediately if they see the man and not to resist or confront him.

"We want the public to make the assumption that he's armed and dangerous based on the fact that he's in custody for bank robbery and he's carjacked," she said.

University of Iowa spokesman Tom Moore said he had no immediate information about the man's escape from the hospital as of Wednesday morning.

Brotherton said county jail inmates are routinely transported to the hospital for treatment, and turned over to hospital security after they arrive.

Koehlhoeffer, originally of Fairfield, was being held on two counts of first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, two counts of assault on a police office, assault on a police office causing injury, second-degree criminal mischief and interference with official acts causing injury.

The charges against him stem from Fairfield in Jefferson County.