Inmate Escapes Hospital, Search Underway In New London [UPDATE]

UPDATE: A woman who escaped police custody at a New London hospital has been caught, according to the Department of Correction.

Nicole Besse, 39, of Waterbury, was taken into custody without incident. She was facing the charge of first-degree failure to appear in court and will now face other charges.

“I am grateful to our law enforcement partners for their collaboration, which resulted in the quick capture of the escaped individual,” Department of Correction Commissioner Angel Quiros, said.

Original story

NEW LONDON, CT — Authorities are searching for an inmate who escaped from Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, according to the state Department of Correction.

The escape occurred around 4 a.m. Monday.

Nicole Besse, 39, of Waterbury, was being treated at the hospital. She "was able to slip out of her wrist restraints and leave the hospital grounds," according to the statement.

Besse was being held at the York Correctional Institution in Niantic.

She has not been sentenced. Besse had been charged with first-degree failure to appear in court and was awaiting a court date with a bond of $6,000, according to the statement.

K-9s from state police and the Department of Correction are searching for Besse. Members of the Department of Correction’s Fugitive Investigations Unit and Security Division are also searching for the fugitive.

Police said there is no immediate threat to the public, according to WTNH News-8.

Besse has about 10 arrests out of Waterbury going back to 2014, mostly for failure to appear and trespassing, WTNH News-8 reported.

She was last seen leaving the hospital wearing a gray sweatshirt and blue jeans.

Anyone who spots her should not approach or follow and instead call 911 immediately, the state Department of Correction said.