Man Held In Decades-Old Child Sex Abuse Case Charged With Escape After Leaving Hospital; Found In Lexington Park

LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — A man in custody on pending child sex abuse and sex offense charges was charged with second-degree escape after authorities allege he left MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital and was later found near a CVS in Lexington Park.

Jimmy Arnold Mendenhall, 72, of Lexington Park, was charged with second-degree escape following the June 1, 2026, incident.

Court records show Mendenhall was indicted in St. Mary’s County Circuit Court in 2025 on multiple felony charges, including child abuse, third-degree sex offense and continuing sexual abuse of a minor. The cases involve allegations dating from the 1990s through the early 2000s.

Docket entries in the circuit court cases show Mendenhall was found incompetent to stand trial in October 2025 and again following a May 2026 review hearing. The cases remained pending when the alleged escape occurred.

The escape was reported after detention center staff learned Mendenhall had left MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital following treatment and could not be located when staff arrived to return him to custody.

According to charging documents, a correctional officer advised that Mendenhall was actively incarcerated and had been authorized to receive medical treatment as needed, but was required to be taken back into custody after discharge.

Charging documents state Mendenhall was waiting to be transported to a nursing home or hospital setting, where he was expected to remain on an ankle monitor while the criminal cases remained pending.

Around 6:24 p.m., medical staff contacted detention center personnel and advised that Mendenhall was ready to be released back into custody, according to court documents. When correctional staff arrived, they were unable to locate him at the hospital.

Investigators obtained GPS data from Mendenhall’s electronic ankle monitoring device, which indicated he had left the hospital around 6:05 p.m., about 20 minutes before medical staff contacted the detention center.

The GPS data placed Mendenhall on Great Mills Road in Lexington Park. Deputies later located him wearing a white T-shirt and khaki shorts, standing at a Chevrolet dealership and smoking a cigarette near the CVS at 21676 Great Mills Road, according to charging documents.

Mendenhall was taken into custody and transported back to the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center. Before any interview, charging documents state he requested a lawyer and declined to speak with the deputy.

Court records show Mendenhall was held without bond on June 2 following a bail review before Judge Karen Christy Holt Chesser.

A competency hearing and trial in the escape case are set for July 13 in St. Mary’s County District Court.

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