Authorities have issued a warning about Eddie Tripp, urging the public to avoid engaging with him as he is considered dangerous.
PALATKA, Fla. — *UPDATE 11:51 A.M.*
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office has announced that Eddie Tripp has been apprehended. Consequently, all lockdowns in the vicinity have now been lifted.
Earlier, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office reported that an inmate had escaped from police custody during a medical appointment on the outskirts of Palatka.
The escaped inmate, identified as 27-year-old Eddie Tripp, had been taken for a medical visit to a facility near HCA Florida Putnam Hospital.
Residents in the area were advised to be cautious, as authorities indicated a significant police presence around St. Johns Avenue and the Kay Larkin apartment complex.
The Putnam County School District says that Kelley Smith Elementary and Children’s Reading Center Charter School are on full lockdown, while Palatka Jr.-Sr. High School, Mellon Learning Center and Putnam Academy of Arts and Sciences are on a modified lockdown. PCSO also says that the nearby St. Johns River State College is also on lockdown.
Police say that Tripp is a convicted felon who was arrested in October for aggravated battery and kidnapping by the Palatka Police Department.
Tripp has confirmed gang connections, PCSO confirmed with First Coast News. He is considered dangerous, and if approached, police say “he will fight.”
PCSO encourages any sightings of Tripp to be sent to the police by calling 911 immediately.
