Photo: John Robert Bryant
A Mountain Home man who tried to run rather than face jail time after being found in contempt of court in early May appeared during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Monday.
When he made the attempt to escape, 33-year-old John Robert Bryant was appearing before the court in an open criminal case in which he is charged with stealing almost $2,000 in merchandise from several Mountain Home businesses.
When Circuit Judge John Putman inquired about the status of the case, Deputy Public Defender Mark Cooper reported Bryant had not been in contact with him.
Judge Putman said the court had ordered Bryant to stay in touch with his attorney and his failure to do so put him in contempt of the court’s order. He first ordered Bryant jailed for 30 days, but later lowered the jail stay to 10 days.
Bryant was remanded into the custody of the sheriff’s office to be taken to jail to begin serving his time.
When a deputy allowed Bryant to make a phone call to report to a family member that he was being locked up, Bryant decided to bolt and ran out of the court complex.
He was captured in a parking lot on the south side of the courts building and transported to jail.
Bryant was released after serving his time for contempt.
He appeared Monday on his original theft charge that remains open. He is accused of stealing items from area businesses on several occasions during a several month period early last year.
During the investigation, it was discovered Bryant had allegedly sold some of the items to a local pawnshop the same day they were taken.
A jury trial on the theft case is now set for Dec. 6.
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