PALATKA, Fla. (WCJB) - Deputies say 27-year-old Eddie Tripp, of Palatka, an inmate at the Putnam County Jail, escaped during a medical appointment on Thursday, and has since been captured.

Tripp is a convicted felon who was arrested in October by Putnam County Sheriff’s deputies on aggravated battery and kidnapping charges.

Deputies say there was a heavy law enforcement presence near the hospital near St. Johns Avenue and the Kay Larkin Apartment area following Tripp’s escape.

St. Johns State College, Kelley Smith Elementary School, and Reading Center Charter School were on lockdown as a precaution. The lockdowns have since been lifted after his capture.

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