MCSO: Man taken into custody after escaping from deputies on Saturday, faces multiple narcotics charges
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Deputies say they’ve caught Eric Fountain of Scottsville, 37, who escaped from law enforcement on Saturday.
The original arrest
Deputies from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office say it all started around 3 a.m. on Saturday when they got a report about a stolen vehicle being hit. MCSO said Fountain lied to deputies about his identity during a traffic stop at a Lyell Avenue gas station.
Deputies reported that Fountain was found with illicit and prescription drugs, as well as drug paraphernalia. Deputies attempted to arrest him, and he was taken into custody after a short chase on foot, the sheriff’s office reported.
He was charged with stealing a vehicle and drug possession, and was then taken to a local hospital for shoulder pain, deputies say.
The escape
He was then taken to the public safety building, where he escaped while in handcuffs during processing, MCSO told us.
A deputy attempted to catch Fountain, leading to an altercation that caused the deputy to go unconscious after hitting his head on the pavement after being tackled by him, MCSO added.
Fountain managed to run away after giving the deputy minor injuries. The deputy has since been released from a local hospital. MCSO said.
The injured deputy was the only one in the booking area with Fountain when he ran away. “Our internal investigations going to go, is going to go through, and they will find any kind of gaps in our security or processes right now, and we’ll make those adjustments. In this case here, I think, you know, there are we have more secure areas and less secure areas here that we do simple fingerprinting and booking. In this case here, I think, you know, we just had a suspect who, you know, normally it’d be a one on one. And in this case, he took advantage of the security,” said Monroe County Sheriff’s Captain Matthew Kreuzer.
Later, Fountain was seen jumping a fence, then running towards Court Street and the Genesee River. Law enforcement set up a perimeter to contain him, the sheriff’s office said.
The rearrest
At 1:45 p.m., deputies say he was found hiding in a large drainage pipe underneath the Court Street Bridge. Cameras from the Monroe County Water Authority and the Greece Police Department’s tactical robot helped investigators find him.
The Rochester Fire Department assisted investigators in arresting Fountain.
List of charges for Fountain
- Escape in the first degree
- Assault in the second degree
- Criminal possession of narcotic drugs in the third degree
- Criminal possession of a controlled substance
- Criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree
- Criminal use of drug paraphernalia in the second degree, two counts
- Obstructing governmental administration in the second degree
- Resisting arrest
- False personation
Fountain was also wanted by the United States Marshals after violating a previous probation warrant.
Kreuzer told us that after Fountain’s medical evaluation, he will likely be taken to the Monroe County CAP court or to an arraignment for his federal warrant.
List of contributing organizations and law enforcement agencies
- Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
- U.S. Marshals Task Force
- Rochester Police Department
- New York State Police and their Aviation Unit
- Town of Greece Police Department and their SWAT
- Town of Brighton Police Department
- Village of Fairport Police Department
- MCSO K9, Drone Response Team, Marine Unit, SCUBA and SWAT
- Regional Investigative Operations Center (RIOC)
- Rochester Fire Department
- AMR Ambulance Services
- Monroe County Water Authority
- Rochester Gas & Electric
- Local businesses and community members for video footage and information
