Leaving a note saying he'd been called to the mountains, a self-proclaimed prophet who threatened an LDS Church official with a bogus bomb earlier this year escaped from custody by jumping from a Utah State Hospital third-story window early Tuesday.
Cody Robert Judy rolled up a window, peeled back a screen and squeezed through a 12-inch gap between bars covering the window in his Hyde Building room about 5 a.m. Judy's roommate told hospital workers he saw Judy standing by the window. When the roommate returned from the bathroom, Judy was gone. The roommate notified hospital employees. Bed checks are conducted about every 15 minutes."He had to go down three floors, so he could be injured," said Janina Chilton, hospital spokeswoman. Judy's feet left 4-inch impressions in the wet ground below the window. Provo Police Capt. George Pierpont said the contents of a note Judy left on a dresser indicated Judy might have headed to the foothills east of the hospital. Police would not share the two-page note with media. It was addressed "To whom it may concern."
Police on foot and all-terrain vehicles traversed the hills Tuesday. The Utah County sheriff's K-9 unit also searched nearby orchards and buildings. A Utah Highway Patrol helicopter hovered over the area looking for Judy. Officers also were chasing down reported sightings of Judy in the city.
On Feb. 7, Judy held a toy phone made to look like a bomb next to the head of Howard W. Hunter, president of the Council of the Twelve, while he spoke at a Brigham Young University fireside. Students and security guards wrestled Judy to the floor. No one was injured. After Judy's arrest, a 4th Circuit judge sent him to the state hospital for a competency evaluation.
Judy, 27, who is charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault and assault, was scheduled to appear at a competency hearing Thursday in 4th District Court.
"It's hard to say how dangerous he is," Pierpont said. "He's dangerous enough to do what he did."
"We don't think he is dangerous to the public, but we would be concerned about the (LDS Church) general authorities," Chilton said.
In Salt Lake City, police are taking "special precautions," said Sgt. Don Bell, who heads the department's intelligence unit.
"Hopefully, he can be found before he gets himself hurt or hurts anybody else," Bell said. "I think he is a strong threat, probably with the LDS Church being the main target. That's been his focus all along." Also in February, Judy left guns, knives, ammunition and food just inside the gates at Temple Square.
Bell said police "have a few individuals who we are watching their residences quite closely." He would not specify whether those homes belong to LDS leaders.
Officials at the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had little comment.
"We are aware of his escape and our security personnel are taking appropriate precautions," said Don LeFevre, church spokesman.
BYU police were also aiding in the search.
Kaysville Police Chief Dave Helquist confirmed his department was also contacted by police officials from Utah County and is watching for the escapee, who has relatives in Kaysville.
In an interview Feb. 9, Judy told the Deseret News from his Utah County Jail cell that he couldn't "wait for the next six months."
"The next couple of months will be hard for me. I will receive lots of persecution. I know what will happen. I'm going to be shot, but I will be healed," he said.
Judy fled the hospital wearing a blue T-shirt, blue jeans and a black suede jacket. He wore a tan braided leather head band, said Karen Morales, Provo Police spokeswoman. He is 5-feet-10-inches tall, about 160 pounds and unshaven. The clothes might or might not belong to Judy. Hospital patients often swap clothes with each other.
Hospital officials would not comment on Judy's attitude or state of mind the past few weeks. One worker, however, said, "Cody actually got along with everybody up here."
Chilton said Judy's escape underscores the state's need for a secure forensic unit to house mentally ill and mentally retarded criminals. The 72-year-old Hyde Building, which houses people such as Ron Lafferty and Eugene "Captain Nemo" Woodland, only has dead-bolt locks and thin metal bars on the window.
"It's just decorative ornamental work. You could kick that out if you wanted to," Chilton said. The bars were put up after rapist Jack Jessop slid out a third-story window on a vacuum cord in 1989.
The Utah Legislature appropriated $51,000 this year as planning money for a new facility. Officials are considering building it on the hospital campus.
It's possible that if Judy is found, he'll be returned to the hospital.
"It's definitely in the realm of possibility. We'd probably prefer to have his evaluation finished in the jail when these types of incidents happen," Chilton said.