Newton man flees after appearing in court but is promptly captured after tip

Jason Trotter, 51, of Newton, decided last week after appearing in court for a drug trafficking-related charge to flee the Jasper County Courthouse, only to be apprehended by authorities on the second floor of a downtown building less than a block away from where he escaped. The incident occurred on his birthday.

But instead of celebrating with cake and ice cream, Trotter was served additional charges — including a felony — on top of the felony drug allegation he appeared in court for that day. Trotter could only evade capture for less than hour.

After court had been dismissed on May 1, Trotter was being moved from the courtroom to a more secure area where he would have been changed out of his civilian clothes and into his prison garb and then placed in handcuffs. Before he could be escorted to a secured room and have restraints placed on him, he ran.

Lt. Brad Shutts of the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office told Newton News that a deputy was holding the door while jail staff was escorting Trotter, who then shoved jail staff and took off down the back stairwell. Video footage obtained by Newton News shows Trotter proceeded to head north of the courthouse on foot.

RESIDENTS WERE QUICKLY NOTIFIED OF TROTTER’S ESCAPE

Law enforcement called in the escape at around 4:43 p.m. Residents were also notified of the escape through Jasper County’s emergency alert system, which is typically used to notify the population during severe weather events. The alert warned citizens that a prison inmate fled from court and could be in the area.

“Lock your door and report anything suspicious,” the alert stated.

By 5:26 p.m., another alert was sent out to citizens telling them the suspect was in custody. Shutts said a teller at Bank Iowa in Newton saw Trotter enter a nearby building along West Second Street North. Trotter had previously headed toward Fareway and then the public library before entering a damaged building.

“He was in normal clothing so it wasn’t like he was dressed in all orange or anything like that. He blended in. But thank goodness for that teller being so alert to what was going on and to notify us,” Shutts said. “We’re very thankful. Newton (Police Department) did have their tracking dog ready to be deployed, too.”

TROTTER WAS FACING POSSIBLE 25-YEAR SENTENCE

Currently, Trotter is an inmate at the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility. According to Trotter’s sentencing order, he pled guilty on May 2 to the charge of intent to manufacture/deliver meth, which is a Class B felony. Trotter is expected to be incarcerated for no more than 25 years for this particular charge.

Shutts said Trotter, who has several priors, is likely facing additional charges following his brief escape, including a Class D felony charge for escape from custody and a serious misdemeanor charge of assault on persons in certain occupations, in this case a corrections officer.

HOW DOES SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN?

Jasper County Attorney Scott Nicholson said any case involving an incarcerated individual who is about to be presented before a jury requires the defendant to be given certain rights. For instance, the defendant cannot be made to look like a prisoner, so in other words they must wear civilian clothes and be without restraints.

“A lot of times we’ll reach out to the defendant’s family through their attorney to say, ‘Hey! Can you bring clothes for the jury trial?’ And they usually do. If not, the jail provides the clothing,” Nicholson said to Newton News in a Friday, May 3 interview. “Another right they have in front of a jury is to not be shackled.”

If individuals are wearing prisoner garbs and are bound with handcuffs and chains during trial, that image can form an unfair prejudice against the defendant.

“So if you have someone who is familiar with the justice system and they know they’re going to have these rights before they go in front of a jury, they can plan ahead and wait for the opportunity to push the guard away and run,” Nicholson said. “That’s exactly what happened here.”

In a typical jury trial courtroom setting, there is at least one jailer present and the courthouse deputy. The Jasper County Attorney’s Office and the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office is reviewing the footage to better prepare for incidents like this in the future. Nicholson said the final say is ultimately up to the judge.

Right now, Nicholson is debating whether to wait until the jury has left entirely and then restraining defendants in the courtroom before they are escorted to a secure location for them to change. At this point the county attorney may suggest this practice in the future, provided a judge allows it.