ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The arrest of a suspect who escaped police custody and left Rochester General Hospital this week is highlighting the work of the local U.S. Marshals Service.
Police responded Monday evening to a welfare check for 47-year-old Steven Ploof. Investigators said he refused commands, attempted to hit officers with his vehicle, and pointed a makeshift torch at them. After officers broke his car window, Ploof allegedly tried to use pepper spray before fleeing into a wooded area.
47-year-old Steven Ploof is in custody after police say he confronted officers, fled into the woods armed with a knife, and later escaped from a hospital before being recaptured.
He was eventually taken into custody with the use of a taser and transported to Rochester General Hospital. But early Tuesday morning, hospital staff reported that Ploof had left the facility.
That’s when the U.S. Marshals Service was called in to assist. Supervisory Deputy Jeremy Marrero said he got the call from Greece police while putting his child on the school bus.
“We knew he had walked out of the hospital, had limited resources and our suggestion was, we were going to play the last-known area, also reach out to individuals in the city to see if they’ve seen him,” Marrero said. “We received great information from someone walking along 104 and Hudson that led to the arrest within 30 minutes of us being out there.”
Ploof was located on Joseph Avenue in Rochester and arrested without incident. He was taken back to Rochester General Hospital for treatment and will be arraigned in Monroe County Court once released.
He faces several charges, including reckless endangerment, menacing a police officer, resisting arrest, attempted aggravated assault on an officer, obstruction, and escape.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Marrero and another deputy sat down with News 8’s Adam Chodak to talk about how the Marshals specialize in “open-air arrests” like this one.
That full interview begins streaming Wednesday at 8 p.m. on the RochesterFirst streaming app. Download it to your Smart TV to watch exclusive local content like this, along with our regular newscasts.