Manhunt suspect may change plea
December 14, 2011
VALLEY CITY, N.D. (AP) — A man accused of fleeing a prisoner transport van in North Dakota and sparking a manhunt is scheduled to change his plea to a felony escape charge.
Joseph Megna initially pleaded not guilty. A change of plea hearing and a sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 4 in Valley City, though defense attorney Mark Blumer says things might change before then. He did not elaborate.
California-based Extradition Transport of America was moving Megna from Florida to Washington state in early October when authorities say he escaped at a rest stop along Interstate 94 in southeast North Dakota. Authorities flushed the 30-year-old convicted sex offender from a cornfield after a 22-hour standoff.
