CUMMING — An escaped inmate who turned himself back in after nearly 48 hours of freedom last month has been indicted on the charges for which he was initially detained. Koby Matthew Blanchard, 38, walked away from a work detail on Oct. 24 at the Cumming Police Department’s headquarters before authorities put enough pressure on him and his contacts to cause him to return to the Forsyth County Detention Center about noon Oct. 26. At the time, Blanchard was being held on charges of burglary, theft, arson, tampering with evidence and giving false statements, according to Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Robin Regan. Now, the north Forsyth resident will face trial on five counts. He and Mark Anthony Bowen were indicted by the Forsyth County Grand Jury for second-degree arson. In addition, Blanchard, Bowen and Gary Dean Wigley were indicted for second-degree burglary to the same building, also in north Forsyth. Blanchard also faces lone indictments for second-degree burglary to another building, theft by taking and theft by receiving stolen property. Authorities haven’t said where or how he spent his free weekend in October, but he was not considered a public threat and was not believed to be armed.
