Idaho Inmate Gets Life Sentence for Escaping State Custody at Boise Hospital

BOISE, Idaho—An Idaho inmate was sentenced Friday to life in prison for escaping state custody at a Boise hospital after the corrections officers guarding him were violently attacked. Skylar Meade pleaded guilty to the escape and to sentencing enhancement for being a persistent violator and for causing bodily injury during the crime earlier this year. Fourth District Judge Nancy Baskin also sentenced him to another five years for possession of a controlled substance and having contraband in a prison. Meade must serve 35 years for those charges before he can be considered for parole. The case began in the early morning hours of March 20 after the Idaho Department of Correction brought Meade to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center for treatment of self-inflicted injuries. As correctional officers prepared to take Meade back to the prison around 2 a.m., an accomplice outside the hospital began shooting, prosecutors say....