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Florida 'Sexual Predator' Fails in Daring Bid for Freedom
Loaded on Nov. 15, 2000
published in Prison Legal News
November, 2000, page 7
A "violent sexual predator" who broke out of Florida's civil commitment detention center in a brazen midday helicopter escape was captured, along with his helicopter-flying accomplice, 4 ½ miles away after a 25-hour manhunt.
Filed under:
Discrimination,
Sex Offenders (Discrimination),
Escapes,
Civil Commitment.
Location:
Florida.
Shortly after 1:00 P.Mon June 5, 2000, Steven Whitsett jumped into a hovering chopper piloted by …
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- Pelican Bay's Bloody Wednesday, by Willie Wisely
- $16 Million Agreement to Revamp NJ Prison Mental Health Care
- Florida 'Sexual Predator' Fails in Daring Bid for Freedom
- Pregnant OH Prisoner Obtains Abortion
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- Post-Conviction Update, by Reaves, Jr, Walter M
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- NY School-Age Prisoners Entitled to Educational Services
- Detainee's Excessive Force Claim Requires Trial
- Male NJ Guard's Sexual Harassment Suit Settled for $425,000
- Slave Labor Supplanting Welfare State, by Ronald Young
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- News in Brief
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More from these topics:
- “Devil in the Ozarks” Gets 13 More Years for Escape, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Escapes, Security Systems, Authentication/Identification.
- Eight Detainees Escape from Louisiana Jail, Captured in 24 Hours, March 1, 2026. Escapes, Jail Specific, Security Systems.
- Two Detainees Captured After Escape from Southwest Georgia Jail, March 1, 2026. Escapes, Jail Specific, Security Systems.
- Escape from Georgia Jail Ends in Florida after Lyft Hijacking, Feb. 1, 2026. Escapes, Jail Specific, Security Systems, Kidnapping, Abduction or Unlawful Restraint.
- Oklahoma Prisoner Who Escaped Through Hole Killed by Sheriff, Feb. 1, 2026. Escapes, Plumbing, Jail Specific, Security Systems.
- Shadow Prisons: How Civil Commitment Leads to Longer Confinement, Jan. 1, 2026. Sex Offender Treatment, Involuntary Treatment/Drugging, Civil Commitment, Sexually Dangerous Persons/Sexual Violent Predators, Sex Offense Registration Act (SORNA).
- Slender Man Stabber’s Escape Prompts “Serious Questions” for Wisconsin DOC, Jan. 1, 2026. Escapes, Electronic Monitoring, Conditions of.
- Louisiana Detainee Captured After Two Previous Escapes, Dec. 1, 2025. Criminal Prosecution, Escapes, Jail Specific, Assaults on Staff, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration.
- Fifth Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Suit by Civilly Committed Texan, Dec. 1, 2025. Sex Offenders (Discrimination), Conditions of Confinement, Complaints, Grievances, Civil Commitment.
- The Last Escaped Detainee from the New Orleans Jail Was Arrested in an Atlanta Crawlspace, Nov. 1, 2025. Escapes, Overcrowding, Staffing, Plumbing, Security Systems, Release and Reentry, Consent Decrees, CRIPA.

