ACWORTH - A convicted felon arrested on drug and weapons charges is behind bars after he escaped while handcuffed from an Acworth police cruiser last week.

Police caught up with Cartersville resident Joe Daniel Tanturri, 24, after he kicked out the rear driver's side window and escaped into a nearby wooded area. According to his arrest warrant, Tanturri was trying to reach a state highway when police found him.

Tanturri was arrested Thanksgiving Day after federal agents found him in possession of a Remington bolt-action .22 rifle, marijuana and five muscle relaxant pills. He is being held in Cobb County Jail with no bond.

According to his arrest warrant, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms federal agents questioned Tanturri on Nov. 25 about a stolen JVC 37-inch flat screen television that he had given to his girlfriend, Kari Wills, as a gift.

Tanturri, who was at Wills' Acworth home at the time of his arrest, told agents he purchased the television for $350 from a Rome resident and the gun from a Cobb County flea market for $50. After Tanturri waived his Miranda rights, agents also found marijuana in his pocket and the non-prescribed medication in the bedroom.

Tanturri already spent one year in Phillips State Prison after he was convicted in 2002 for an attempted armed robbery in Bartow County.

He is now charged with theft by receiving, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana less than one ounce, drugs to be kept in original container, interference with government property, escape from custody and obstruction. Four of the charges are felonies.

Tanturri does not have an attorney or bondsman, according to his book-in sheet.

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