The Associated Press

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Authorities in Tennessee captured a Kentucky man Monday who escaped from a county jail after he was convicted of shooting a police officer.

Anthony W. Romans, 33, of Lexington, was captured about 1:30 p.m. in the woods by U.S. marshals and local police in Clarksville, where he fled after escaping from the Marion County jail, said John Schickel, a U.S. marshal for eastern Kentucky.

Romans, who pleaded guilty to assault charges for shooting Lexington officer Peter Barnhardt in June 1998, was in a Clarksville hotel when officials located him Monday morning.

When police arrived, Romans fled his hotel room through a back window and ran into the woods.

After about four hours, search dogs and officers in helicopters spotted Romans hiding in a tree 30 feet off the ground, Schickel said.

Romans escaped Marion Adjustment Center, a 120-acre minimum-security facility in St. Mary, Saturday after walking away, Warden Caroline Mudd said.

Romans is serving a 20-year sentence. He would have been eligible for parole in June, Mudd said.

Romans shot Barnhardt in the groin with Barnhardt's handgun after Romans fled from a traffic stop.

After pleading guilty to third-degree assault, Romans sued the city of Lexington for injuries suffered from excessive force by the arresting officers.

The city settled for $50,000.