Emanual C. Copes
CARO – A man accused of trying to escape from the Tuscola County Jail – despite facing only misdemeanor charges – has been deemed competent to stand trial.
Emanual C. Copes, 22, of Vassar attempted to flee the jail on Nov. 13 according to a Tuscola County Sheriff’s Office report. Copes was charged with attempted escape from jail while awaiting trial for a misdemeanor, and three counts of assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer – all two-year felonies.
Prior to the alleged escape attempt, Copes was awaiting trial on misdemeanor charges – second-offense domestic violence and malicious destruction of personal property. He was arrested on Oct. 12 in connection with that incident.
In a November press release, the sheriff’s office stated a deputy was collecting food trays from Copes’ cell when Copes made a statement about leaving the jail, and that Copes then exited his cell.
Police say a struggle ensued between the prisoner and the deputy, and Copes ran to the area of the main jail exit. The report states that as the deputy threatened to use his Taser on Copes, another deputy corralled him and Copes was taken back to his cell as he continued to resist multiple deputies.
At a hearing after the alleged escape attempt, Copes was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation at the Michigan Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Saline. He was evaluated on Jan. 11.
Psychiatric professionals at the state-run center generally find a subject fits one of three mental states – competent, incompetent but likely to gain competency through treatment, or incompetent and not likely to gain competency through treatment.
Tuscola County District Judge Jason E. Bitzer, during a Jan. 16 competency hearing, announced a doctor at the center found Copes was competent to understand the charges against him and to participate in a jury trial.
Now, Copes will either enter a plea to alleged crimes in the two files, or take his case to a jury trial.
At the time of his Oct. 12 arrest, Copes was on probation for multiple Tuscola County felony offenses.
In July 2020, he was charged with third-degree fleeing a police officer, operating while intoxicated and reckless driving for an incident that occurred in Vassar. In January 2021, he pleaded guilty to the fleeing and OWI charges – a felony and misdemeanor, respectively.
In April 2021, Copes was charged with a felony count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, three counts of assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer, and domestic violence. He pleaded no contest to the assault charge and to one count of assaulting/resisting/obstructing an officer.
Copes was released from jail on Jan. 13, 2022, after serving a concurrent 280-day jail sentence for violating the probation he received for his July 2020 crimes, and as punishment for his April 2021 crimes.
Copes remains in the Tuscola County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond.
