KY fugitive arrested after escaping from hospital while facing federal charges
A fugitive who had been on the run for days in Kentucky was captured by authorities Thursday, according to the Morehead Police Department.
Anthony Martinez, 35, was booked into the Rowan County Detention Center, according to jail records. He faces new charges of second-degree escape, third-degree assault — police officer, resisting arrest, attempting to disarm a police officer, four counts of first-degree wanton endangerment and first-degree criminal mischief, according to court records.
Morehead police announced Martinez’s escape Tuesday. Police previously said Martinez was in custody on federal charges and escaped from UK-St. Claire Hospital while in the custody of Rowan County jail guards.
Martinez was at the hospital for treatment, according to court documents.
On Thursday, police said they received credible information of Martinez’ whereabouts near Triplett Creek behind a KFC restaurant. Kentucky State Police’s helicopter was deployed to find Martinez, but it was unable to find him due to thick vegetation.
Morehead police officers then began tracking Martinez’s movements on the ground, and the vegetation was so thick that officers had to use machettes to get through it, according to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office said.
Officers were able to find a location where Martinez crossed a creek, according to police. Officers eventually found Martinez’s hiding spot near Triplett Creek, behind the Newtowne Square shopping center, and he fled.
Police said Martinez was arrested after a brief pursuit and struggle. The sheriff’s office said Martinez, who still had a handcuff on one wrist, managed to push officers into a waist-deep creek and threatened to kill them.
Court documents say Martinez tried to grab a detective’s firearm and hit the detective in the face.
“I can only imagine what he may have done if he had encountered an unarmed resident,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. “If you read the Morehead Police Department’s press release, you would assume this was your normal, everyday arrest.”
Several items were damaged or lost during Martinez’ apprehension, including a radio, body-worn camera and cell phone, according to court documents. The value assessed to the damaged items was more than $1,000.
“The Morehead Police Department would like to extend its sincere gratitude to the Kentucky State Police for their vital support in this operation, as well as to all our other agencies involved in the search,” Morehead police said in a press release. “We also thank the Morehead community for providing valuable information that greatly contributed to the successful apprehension of this fugitive.”
Martinez has a lengthy criminal history and has previously been charged in other escape attempts, according to court records. In September 2022, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a federal court in Indiana after pleading guilty to several robbery charges.
Court documents say Martinez robbed multiple banks between 2015 and 2020 in Kentucky and Indiana. Each time, Martinez disguised himself and was armed with a gun.
A couple of Martinez’s robberies included more than $100,000 thefts from banks in Western Kentucky, according to court documents. His string of robberies ended in February 2020 after he was arrested by Louisville police.
At the state court level, Martinez was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to a theft charge in Oldham County in February 2024. The sentence was set to run concurrently with three other Jefferson County cases, including a first-degree criminal mischief and second-degree escape case from September 2020, according to court records.
Martinez was on the run until Oct. 13, 2020, when he was found by authorities in Hanover, Ind., according to court documents. He was first spotted five days prior in a heavily wooded area in Scott County, Ind., but managed to evade police.
The other two Jefferson County cases involved criminal mischief and promoting contraband charges, according to court records.
In 2024, Martinez was charged with attempting to escape from a penitentiary in Morgan County, where the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex is located. He pleaded guilty to third-degree escape on May 6, 2025, and was sentenced to 60 days in prison.
It’s unknown if Martinez was at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex when he was charged with attempting to escape from a penitentiary or why he was at UK-St. Claire Hospital in Rowan County. The two facilities are separated by about 25 miles.
This story was originally published May 9, 2025 at 10:10 AM.
