Authorities arrested an inmate who briefly escaped the Dimond Courthouse in downtown Juneau on Wednesday afternoon.

Talon B. Lobaugh, 23, was on the ground floor of the courthouse with an armed Alaska State Troopers’ court security officer waiting for an elevator when Lobaugh made a dash for a back door, setting off alarms in the building, according to Alaska State Troopers Judicial Services clerk Richard Millay.

“He was getting brought up through the back,” Millay said. “Next thing, he got on the elevator, and he made a break for the door.”

At least two court security officers sprinted out the back door of the courthouse to pursue him. That led the officers to the city parking garage on Main Street. Juneau Police Department officers in marked police cruisers joined in the pursuit to assist after receiving the initial call at 2:50 p.m.

Lobaugh was arrested shirtless by JPD officers a few minutes later at about 3:07 p.m. on a hillside at Main Street near the State Office Building. Before his arrest, Lobaugh was donning an orange jumpsuit and his hands were handcuffed in the front.

“He was trying to remove his jumpsuit to take it off,” when he was located by an officer, JPD Lt. David Campbell said in a phone interview.

Lobaugh had already appeared in court at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday for an arraignment on the charge of resisting and interfering with an arrest. He was awaiting a second court hearing when he fled.

Campbell said it wasn’t the first time Lobaugh fled from authorities — he did the same thing when he was being arrested Tuesday night.

He was arrested then on an outstanding $5,000 Alaska State Troopers’ warrant when an off-duty JPD officer spotted him in the area of Mount Roberts Street. The warrant was for failing to comply with conditions of probation stemming from six counts of second-degree forgery and two counts of second-degree theft.

The off-duty JPD officer notified police, and Lobaugh fled on foot when responding police officers arrived on scene. He was caught in about nine minutes, Campbell said.

“He ran from us last night. He ran from us today. He got caught both times,” Campbell said.

Just before Wednesday’s courthouse escape, Lobaugh was being held in one of the Alaska State Troopers’ Judicial Services holding cells, located on the ground floor of the courthouse.

He was being escorted to Juneau Superior Court Judge Louis Menendez’ courtroom on the second floor of the building to answer to the charge of violating probation in the 2008 forgery case.

JPD returned Lobaugh to the custody of the Judicial Services office after the incident.

It was not immediately known if any new charges were filed.

Lobaugh apparently suffered some minor lacerations to his back during the pursuit. Campbell said he also was complaining of wrist pain.

Campbell said this was only the second time in 17 years that he can remember an inmate escaping from the courthouse.

• Contact reporter Emily Russo Miller at 523-2263 or at emily.miller@juneauempire.com.