On Tuesday, Florida officials revealed that a woman was able to escape months of captivity when the man holding her made a pharmacy stop while she was in the car.
The woman, seeing her chance, fled the Walgreens parking lot when 48 year-old Walter Medina left her unattended for a few moments at the Tampa area pharmacy, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s office became aware of the incident when they received a call saying that an injured woman was seen escaping from a van, and needed assistance. Deputies were subsequently dispatched to the location.
Upon arriving on the scene, Medina led officers on a chase, after which they arrested him. He stand charged with armed kidnapping and attempted murder in the second degree.
Medina previously served prison time on a false imprisonment conviction. Officials say he came across his most recent victim while she was panhandling. Allegedly, after luring her to a place where he could feed her and supply her with drugs, he became violent. His victim sustained several broken ribs, acquired bruising over much of her body, was punctured several times, and sustained other injuries during her two month long captivity.
Sheriff Chad Chronister, in a statement to the press, expressed horror at the torture that the woman endured. He commended her for her bravery in making a break for it and seeking help as soon as she could. He wished her well in her recovery.
The victim was hospitalized and treated following her escape. Her identity is not being released.
This marks the latest in a long line of similar crimes by Medina, a career criminal. He’s previously been implicated in aggravated assault, robbery, and kidnapping. He currently stands charged with great bodily harm stemming from aggravated battery, witness tampering, evidence tampering, kidnapping, and armed false imprisonment as the result of his latest escapade.
The reign of terror, Sheriff Chronister said, is over.
