Patient who ran away from Garnet's behavioral health unit found in Port Jervis

Middletown – State Police said a patient in the behavioral health unit at the Garnet Medical Center who assaulted an employee and used the employee ID to escape the unit was arrested about 24 hours later in Port Jervis, where he lives.

In addition to the robbery, the State Police said Christopher M. Morgan, 40 years old, is also facing the charge of doing a terrorist threat for calling local police and threats.

According to the state police, Morgan was a patient in Garnet’s behavioral health unit, on March 6, when he violently attacked a 74-year-old employee and forcefully removed the employee’s hospital ID.

The state police said that Morgan then used the identity card to get rid of the behavioral health unit and fled the hospital on foot.

A search for the surrounding area, with assistance from the Middletown and Wallkill police departments and the sheriff’s office in Orange County, failed, said the State Police.

However, the next day, Morgan was located and arrested by the members of the Port Jervis Police Department of Block 200 in East Main Street in Port Jervis.

He was sent to the State Police, who accused of robbery and made a terrorist threat, both offenses.

The state police said that the latter accusation was filed, because on February 22, Morgan used a phone belonging to Garnet Health Medical Center to resort to bombs for several law enforcement agencies in Orange County.

Morgan was notified on Friday at Middletown City Court and sent to the Orange County prison, instead of a cash bail of $ 250,000, bonds of $ 500,000 or $ 750,000 partially insured bonds, waiting for a judicial action.

The name of his lawyer was not immediately available.

Mike Randall covers news for The Times Herald-Record and The Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach it at [email protected]