Man who escaped psychiatric hospital in Roanoke County arrested after stealing farm truck
VSP said Gregory had been at Catawba Hospital for six days
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Virginia State Police said the man who escaped a psychiatric hospital in Roanoke County is now in custody for stealing a farm truck.
10 News was able to speak to John Noel, a Lieutenant with VSP, who said Gregory was committed to Catawba Hospital involuntarily for six days before he had escaped.
Due to the heavy police presence in the area and K-9 assistance, units were able to locate James Gregory and the stolen vehicle at 4965 Catawba Creek Road. Authorities were able to deploy spike strips to disable to vehicle’s tires, leading to a short chase on foot before police got to him.
ROANOKE Co., Va. â The Virginia State Police received a call for assistance from Catawba Hospital in Roanoke County to assist with the tracking and the capture of James Ray Gregory, 34, of Pulaski, Virginia.
Gregory is described as a heavily tattooed, 6 feet tall, 185 pounds with a thin goatee. Gregory had last been seen wearing an orange and white prison uniform.
Gregory jumped from a second floor window at approximately 7:24 p.m. yesterday evening.
After a heavy police presence in the Catawba area of Roanoke County, police learned Gregory may have stolen a blue flatbed farm truck and fled toward Botetourt County on Catawba Creek Road.
By Ray Cox
Special to The Roanoke Times
Not to boast too openly about the high quality of the constituency for this column, the wit and insight of the many identify them as instinctive journalists with a follow-up question at the ready.
A recent meandering tour of the regionâs mineral springs led to the Catawba Valley and the site of the Catawba Hospital, a state behavioral health complex. In a bygone day, it was a resort known as Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs. Later it was a state-run hospital dedicated to the treatment of tuberculosis, which prompted the examination to come.
By Ray Cox
Special to The Roanoke Times
Incoming correspondence from our many contributors has been awash in additions to an ongoing discussion of the history of the regionâs many mineral springs.
As is sometimes the case with such listings, reader reaction may come in the form of gentle reminders (or scolding tut-tuts) that one or another potential member of the list went unmentioned.
The plea here to incomplete list-making is guilty. The only defense for such omissions is that comprehensive listing of 200-plus such healing gushers in Virginia and West Virginia alone is awkward in small space.
Anyway, it is always a pleasure to welcome pertinent additions to any conversation.