remember you never HAVE to talk to the cops. this guy took the 5th and refused to tell the cops how he did it. you can and should always take the 5th and refuse to talk to the police. it is much better to have the cops mad at you them to talk to the police and give them evidence that could put you in jail for many years. Original Article Escapee mum on details of getaway Emily Bittner and Louie Villalobos The Arizona Republic Aug. 19, 2005 12:00 AM A murder suspect who escaped from the state mental hospital this week wouldn't tell police investigators how he eluded officers or how he planned his getaway. James Edward Bates, 34, who escaped Tuesday night from the Arizona State Hospital at 25th and Van Buren streets, spent about 24 hours as a free man before an El Mirage police sergeant spotted him hitchhiking near Grand Avenue and Dysart roads, said El Mirage Sgt. Annita Boynton, a spokeswoman for the department. At first Bates denied being the escapee and said he was just trying to catch a ride to Las Vegas, Boynton said. But the sergeant recognized his tattoos, and eventually Bates gave up and told officers, "God helped me escape." Bates is wanted in Las Vegas for a murder and was arrested in Tucson in April on suspicion of assaulting a police officer. Hospital officials have said they believe that Bates disappeared between routine bed checks at 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. They think he broke a Plexiglas bathroom window and squeezed through a briefcase-sized opening in the security bars. They found a makeshift dummy in his bed. To accomplish his escape, authorities believe Bates ran along the rooftop, jumped into the yard and scaled a series of nearby fences before escaping through a nearby neighborhood wearing only his boxer shorts, hospital officials have said. He was found Wednesday night in a black T-shirt, pants and rubber sandals, said Tony Morales, a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department. Before his escape, Bates was held in the hospital's high-security "restoration to competency" ward where people are held who have been arrested and charged with crimes but who have proved mentally incompetent to aid in their own defense, hospital Director John Cooper said. On Thursday night, Bates was being held without bond at the Lower Buckeye Jail on charges of being a fugitive of justice and escape in the second degree from a committed hospital.