York police find some department violations in escape of suspect

After a shoplifting suspect escaped from a York police patrol car Wednesday, an internal investigation found the arresting officers violated some departmental policies.

York Police Chief Andy Robinson said the partition in the patrol car was left down, and an officer charged with watching the suspect didn’t inform the other officer when the suspect was unattended.

Robinson said the partition was left down to help circulate air on the hot day.

No disciplinary measures have been taken against the officers, he said. Robinson said York police will be receiving retraining on these procedures.

The suspect who briefly escaped, Rhonda Denine Ramirez, has been charged with shoplifting and escape. Her bond is set at $25,000.

Ramirez was able to get out of the handcuffs and escape from the patrol vehicle while officers were speaking with a person inside the store, Robinson said.

Officers contacted the York County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Tracking Unit and Ramirez was captured a “short distance” away behind the Dollar General store, Robinson said.

This story was originally published June 21, 2017 at 4:00 PM with the headline "York police find some department violations in escape of suspect."