Female jail detainee allegedly escaped custody while at Albuquerque hospital

• Jodi Locke,​​​​​​​ 49, is accused of fourth-degree felony count of escape from jail, according to the criminal complaint.
• She was admitted to UNM Hospital around 5:35 p.m. on July 17 and by 7 p.m. that day, she was reported missing.
• Chief District Court Judge Karen Townsend issued a remand order on July 8 to have Locke held at the county jail for violation of her probation.

FARMINGTON — An Albuquerque woman wanted by law enforcement is accused of escaping from the custody of the San Juan County Adult Detention Center on July 17 while being treated at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque.

Jodi Locke, 49, was recently arrested for a probation violation after a judge ordered her detention. She is accused of falsifying paperwork to state she was COVID-19 positive to avoid being drug tested because she had been using methamphetamine.

She now faces a fourth-degree felony count of escape from jail, according to a criminal complaint, and her arrest warrant was still active on the morning of Aug. 10, according to court records. The charging documents in her case were filed on Aug. 6.

Locke was transported from San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington to UNM Hospital on July 17 for medical treatment. She was admitted to the hospital around 5:35 p.m. on July 17 and, by 7 p.m. that day, she was reported missing.

Jail staff were notified that Locke allegedly pulled out her IVs on her own and left the hospital without speaking to hospital staff. The affidavit states the jail was working on getting correctional officers to travel to Albuquerque to monitor Locke when they were notified she was missing.

A correctional officer accompanied Locke to San Juan Regional Medical Center, and the affidavit did not mention whether any jail staff traveled with Locke to Albuquerque.

The affidavit states a deputy asked a sergeant if any arrangements had to be made to have law enforcement monitor Locke, but the sergeant said only hospital staff were monitoring her.

UNM's police department has jurisdiction at the hospital and would not take custody of Locke due to liability concerns, according to the affidavit.

A San Juan County Sheriff's Office detective investigated the incident. 

Chief District Court Judge Karen Townsend had issued a remand order on July 8 to have Locke held at the county jail for violating her probation.

The San Juan County District Attorney's Office claimed in a July 16 filing that Locke had been filing false letters to her probation officer that she had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Locke was convicted of a fourth-degree felony count of possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced on Oct. 7, to time served and nearly a year and four months of zero tolerance probation.

Locke reported to the Court Programs office on July 8 and said she would test positive for alcohol and meth, according to court documents. She also stated she lied about the COVID-19 test results because she had been "using" and didn't want to come in.

If anyone has information on Locke's whereabouts, they can contact non-emergency dispatch at 505-334-6622.

Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.

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