An Anchorage man briefly escaped from the Nesbett State Courthouse downtown as he was about to be taken into custody Wednesday, according to Alaska State Troopers.
A judge revoked Ryan Robert Portlock's probation for a theft charge and ordered him sent to jail Wednesday afternoon, but Portlock bolted out of the courtroom, troopers said. A Court Services Officer tackled Portlock, 24, between two sets of doors, and a struggle ensued, said troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen.
Portlock broke free, and the court officer radioed for help, giving a description of Portlock. The officer did not use her stun gun, Ipsen said.
"She may have thought she was close enough to just tackle him, but she also had to watch over four inmates in the courtroom," Ipsen said. "There's not always the perfect scenario to use the Taser."
"It just happened too quick for the use of a Taser," she said.
Portlock ran down the fourth floor hallway to a stairwell, Ipsen said. Witnesses at the courthouse saw him emerge on the ground floor and escape the building through an emergency exit on I Street, she said.
An officer driving a van nearby spotted Portlock, who ran west toward the Boney Courthouse, troopers said. The officer nabbed Portlock on K Street with the help of two other officers. One of the officers had minor injuries and Portlock's hands were scraped, troopers said.
Portlock was arrested for the original probation revocation, and charges of escape, assault and resisting arrest were forwarded to the District Attorney's Office. Portlock was taken to the Anchorage jail, troopers said.
Reach Casey Grove at casey.grove@adn.com or 257-4589.
By CASEY GROVE
Anchorage Daily News