Search suspended at Savannah-Hilton Head Airport after felon escapes police custody

Evan McKenna
·1 min read
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After an unsuccessful hours-long manhunt, police called off the search for escaped detainee Joseph Harrison Baynes in the area of the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport. Baynes escaped while being taken to the airport for a flight to Minnesota, where he is wanted on felony stalking charges.

Authorities from Dakota County, Minnesota ruled to stop the manhunt just after 5 p.m. due to inclement weather.

The escape happened around 1:30 p.m. somewhere outside the airport, according to spokesperson Lori Lynah. Police were searching the woods near the main parking lot as of 3:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Baynes was arrested in early June by the Georgia Southern University Police Department for felony vehicle theft, hindering a law enforcement officer, possession of tools associated with a crime and one drug charge, according to court documents. Minnesota judicial records show two felony domestic abuse convictions and nearly two dozen other convictions for felonies and misdemeanors from 2007 to present, with many violations related to his status as a “predatory offender” in the state.

Airport operations were running normally Tuesday afternoon, Lynah said, and traffic into the area was not affected.

Authorities from the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol, Pooler Police Department and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office were searching for the escapee, who has handcuffs on one wrist, according to reporting from WJCL.

This report will be updated as more information becomes available.