Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera told The Times-Gazette that Nickolaus K. Garrison, the 34-year-old Hillsboro man who fled from the Highland County Common Pleas Courtroom after sentencing Tuesday morning, was still at large as of Wednesday afternoon.

“At this time, we’re still actively looking at all the leads we get Wwe’ll round him up sooner or later — hopefully sooner than later,” Barrera said.

Garrison’s break for freedom came following a sentencing hearing held Tuesday morning before Judge Rocky Coss, following a conviction on a fifth-degree felony charge of aggravated possession of methamphetamine.

Highland County Chief Deputy Brandon Stratton said Garrison broke free and absconded from the courtroom while he was being patted down prior to being recuffed and taken into custody.

Court bailiff Ben Reno sustained injuries in the incident, suffering a head wound and two broken ribs as he tried to stop Garrison when he bolted down the staircase.

Garrison first attempted to run from officers when he was apprehended on Feb. 17 under a bridge just south of Diamond Drive in Hillsboro, according to the court’s bill of particulars in the case.

Police were called to a business at 1342 N. High St. in Hillsboro on a report of a male subject walking in and out of the business, appearing to be “not with it,” according to the bill.

When he was taken into custody at that time, a hypodermic needle and a clear baggie containing a while powder substance, later determined to be methamphetamine, was found on his person, with the bill adding that Garrison appeared to be under the influence of illegal narcotics.

Garrison entered a guilty plea to the meth possession charge on Aug. 6.

As previously reported, since Garrison had committed the most recent offense while under post-release control, Coss sentenced him to six months in prison, in addition to the 530 days remaining from an earlier drug conviction, bringing his total prison sentence to nearly two years.

An active capias warrant was issued Tuesday for his arrest with the directive that when apprehended, he is to be immediately taken to the Corrections Reception Center at Orient to begin serving his sentence.

Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.