TOWNSHEND — A patient who fled from Grace Cottage Hospital after allegedly assaulting a nurse and damaging property was located by police.
Adam Rauch, 22, of San Diego, Calif., was found at 2:10 p.m. Wednesday on foot on Route 30 in Newfane. He was taken into custody by the Vermont State Police without incident, according to a news release issued shortly after.
"VSP thanks members of the public for tips that were instrumental in locating the suspect swiftly," the news release states.
Rauch was cited with assault on a protected professional and unlawful mischief. Police said the nurse was treated for facial injuries and released.
TOWNSHEND — Grace Cottage Hospital was put under lockdown after a nurse was assaulted and pr…
Andrea Seaton, director of community relations at Grace Cottage, said a lockdown at the hospital started at about 9:30 a.m. and ended at about 11 a.m. Wednesday.
At 1 p.m. Thursday, State Police asked for the public's help in locating Rauch. They said he "may be in crisis and is potentially dangerous, and there are concerns for his welfare."
Townshend Elementary School and Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School were in a "lock out situation" due to the incident at the hospital, Superintendent Bob Thibault said. Students could still move around inside the school buildings.
"Please rest assured that students and staff were safe at all times, and classes continued as usual," L&G Principal Dana Aquadro wrote to families. "The lockout was a proactive measure, allowing us to maintain normal school operations while ensuring everyone's safety inside the building. We take these measures seriously to protect our school community."
School staff were "working with local authorities," Aquadro added.
