Gary Murder Suspect Surrenders To Police
(CBS) -- A murder suspect who was the subject of a nationwide alert after he was allowed to go free from a Chicago area hospital in February has turned himself in to police in Gary, Indiana.
Gary Police said Mark Cherry, 21, turned himself in at the Lake County Jail around 10:30 a.m. He was accompanied by his attorney when he surrendered to homicide detectives.
"We are pleased to announce that Murder suspect Mark Cherry, is in police custody," Gary Police Cpl. Gabrielle King said.
Cherry was being held at the jail.
In December, Cherry was charged with murder, attempted murder, attempted robbery, criminal confinement and battery in connection with a Dec. 1 home invasion and shooting. Cherry was critically wounded in a gunfight which left 22-year-old Rolando Correa dead.
Cherry was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn to be treated for his wounds. Gary police said he was released from the hospital in February, but they were not notified by the hospital. Police issued a nationwide alert about Cherry last week.
The hospital has said privacy laws prevent them from notifying another person or agency about a patient's condition or release without the patient's consent. They also said they had no authority to detain a patient against his or her will, even if they face criminal charges.
A hospital spokesperson said police departments typically post an officer at the hospital when a suspect is being treated there, so the suspect can be taken into custody upon release. Gary police, however, said they did not do so because they have no jurisdiction in Illinois.
Gary police said they would work with the Cook County Sheriff's Department, Oak Lawn Police, and other law enforcement agencies to try to prevent such an incident in the future.