GEORGETOWN, S.C. —  An internal Sheriff’s Office probe has been launched into how a handcuffed man being transported to jail escaped from a patrol car Tuesday afternoon.

The escape occurred at about 2:30 p.m. when 34-year-old William Dempsy Cooper of Andrews allegedly bailed from the back of the vehicle in the Carvers Bay area, according to authorities.

Cooper was being transported to the Georgetown County Detention Center on a General Sessions Bench Warrant for an alleged purse snatching.

A perimeter was set up along Carvers Bay Road near the area where it intersects with Rose Hill Road.

Deputies and bloodhounds searched through muddy woods of Carvers Bay before spotting Cooper about 90 minutes after the escape.

That’s when he was spotted near the edge of the woods, but officers once again lost sight of him.

They caught up with him less than 30 minutes later and placed Cooper in custody.

After the search, EMS was called to treat one of the deputies who was suffering from an anaphylactic reaction, according to reports. It’s  believed he came into contact with poison ivy during the search.

Assistant Sheriff Carter Weaver would not identify the officer.

“All I can say is we have a deputy at Georgetown Memorial Hospital for treatment,” Weaver said.

It was unknown if the officer was kept overnight.

About the escape, Weaver said, “It’s something that should never have happened.”

He said he does not want to comment on how the escape occurred until the investigation is complete.

“We do thousands of transports each year and we have a transport policy. We have to make sure this person was being transported according to policy,” he said.

According to the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, Cooper pled guilty to charges in January, 2007, including receiving stolen goods,  grand larceny, failure to stop for a blue light and resisting arrest.

He was sentenced to four years.

By Scott Harper

sharper@gtowntimes.com