PAWNEE COUNTy – Larned State Hospital (LSH) official notified Pawnee County law enforcement at 11:30 p.m. Monday that a patient had absconded from the Crisis Stabilization Unit on the Campus of Larned State Hospital, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.
An electronic notification was then sent to area residents to be on alert.
The patient was later identified as Isaac Nathaniel Watts, 43 of Ulysses.
He had been at LSH since December 4, 2021, on an involuntary civil commitment for care and treatment. He was also subject to a hold by the Grant County Sheriff for charges of felony Attempted Second Degree Murder and Aggravated Kidnapping.
Watts, along with a female accomplice, were taken into custody in Finney County at approximately 11:00 a.m. Tuesday without incident by the Garden City Police Department.
The two remain in the custody of Finney County Detention Center pending formal charging decisions.
The specific details of his escape and any assistance he may have received are subject to an ongoing criminal investigation.
Under Kansas law, a “mentally ill person subject to involuntary commitment for care and treatment” means a mentally ill person who also lacks capacity to make an informed decision concerning treatment, is likely to cause harm to self or others, and whose diagnosis is not solely one of the following mental disorders: Alcohol or chemical substance abuse; antisocial personality disorder; intellectual disability; organic personality syndrome; or an organic mental disorder.
PAWNEE COUNTY - Through help of Finney County agencies, 43-year-old Isaac Nathaniel Watts, was located and placed into custody, according to a social media report from the Pawnee Co. Sheriff.
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PAWNEE COUNTY– Isaac Nathaniel Watts, a 43-year-old patient on a court-ordered Care and Treatment Order through Pawnee County, Kan. and a hold order from Grant County, Kan., walked away Monday night from Larned State Hospital (LSH) and is currently considered absent without leave, according to a statement from Kansas Dept. of Aging and Disability Services.
Watts, charged with kidnapping and attempted second-degree murder, was being held in the hospital’s crisis stabilization unit (CSU).
Watts was seen on video walking out of the CSU at approximately 9 p.m. wearing multiple layers of clothing, including blue jeans and a state-issued jean jacket.
Watts’s elopement violates the court-ordered hold, making this a criminal investigation led by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s office in cooperation with the LSH Special Investigator.
“I have been in constant contact with the superintendent and leadership team at Larned and am monitoring the progress of the situation each moment,” Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services Secretary Laura Howard said. “We are working closely with local law enforcement to ensure Mr. Watts is detained without delay or incident”
Watts is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 161 pounds. He has a multiple tattoos, including a cross on his upper right arm, a spider on his abdomen, a “Tiki” figure on his upper left arm, an owl and roses on his left forearm, a bible ad roses on his left upper back and a scorpion on his left calf. The Pawnee County Sheriff was alerted to the situation. The Kansas Highway Patrol has also been notified.
LSH and KDADS officials are fully cooperating with law enforcement’s ongoing investigation.
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PAWNEE COUNTY—Authorities are working to capture a man who walked away from the Larned State Hospital.
According to Pawnee County Sheriff Scott King, attempted second degree murder and kidnapping suspect Isaac N. Watts 43, of Grant County walked away from the Larned State Hospital on Monday night.
Authorities know where he is and are close to taking him into custody, according to King. Authorities don't think he is a predator.
Deputies arrested Watts on November 29 in connection with a domestic situation, according to Grant County Sheriff James Biddle and he was sent to Larned State Hospital for a mental evaluation.
The Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services is expected to release additional details on the escape later Tuesday.