Current:Home > Contact-usEx-jailer in Mississippi is charged in escape of inmate who had standoff with Chicago police-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Ex-jailer in Mississippi is charged in escape of inmate who had standoff with Chicago police
View Date:2024-12-23 11:41:19
HERNANDO, Miss. (AP) — A former employee of a Mississippi jail has been arrested and charged in the June escape of Joshua Zimmerman, an inmate who fled to Chicago and was captured there last week after a 15-hour standoff with police at a restaurant just blocks from the Democratic National Convention.
Ronnie Hunt was charged with conveying articles useful for the escape of a prisoner, Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bailey Martin said Tuesday. Martin said “additional charges are probable.” She did not respond to a question about whether Hunt is represented by an attorney.
The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department said Hunt, 32, has been fired from his job as a deputy jailer, WREG-TV reported. He was being held about an hour’s drive away in the jail in Lafayette County, Mississippi.
The U.S. Marshals Service said Zimmerman escaped June 14 from the DeSoto County Courthouse in Hernando, Mississippi, where he was being held on attempted murder and armed robbery charges. He was also awaiting extradition to Houston, where he’s charged with murder, the Marshals Service said.
Investigators said last week that they believe Zimmerman was working at the seafood restaurant where he was captured. The restaurant is about a half-mile from the United Center, where the political convention was being held. The Marshals Service said there was “no connection or threat to the event or those attending.”
Zimmerman was wearing street clothes, not a jail jumpsuit, when he escaped in Mississippi. A screenshot from a courthouse security video showed him wearing khaki pants and a white shirt and no handcuffs.
According to court records in Harris County, Texas, Zimmerman is accused of fatally shooting a woman, Keyanna Mercer, at a Houston motel on Sept. 2, 2023. The two were asked to leave the motel after multiple complaints of fighting, and when staff members checked the room to see if they had left, they found Mercer’s body with a gunshot wound to the head, police said.
Court records also show Zimmerman was arrested in Connecticut in 2022 on a felony sexual assault charge. He pleaded not guilty and was freed on a $200,000 bond, but a warrant was later issued for his re-arrest.
The DeSoto County sheriff, Thomas E. Tuggle II, told WREG-TV after Zimmerman’s escape: “The notion that he had help, that’s false. The notion that he had an extra set of clothes, that’s false. This is a career criminal. He knew what he was doing.”
veryGood! (15873)
Related
- Indiana in the top five of the College Football Playoff rankings? You've got to be kidding
- Hordes of thunderous, harmless cicadas are coming. It's normal to feel a little dread.
- Mark Zuckerberg to families of exploited kids: 'I'm sorry for everything you've been through'
- FOX debuts Caitlin Clark cam during Iowa's women's basketball game against Maryland
- Waymo’s robotaxis now open to anyone who wants a driverless ride in Los Angeles
- Maluma Reveals the Fatherhood Advice He Got From Marc Anthony
- Lindsay Lohan Reveals Son Luai's Special Connection to Stephen and Ayesha Curry
- Abortion access on the ballot in 2024
- Caitlin Clark shanks tee shot, nearly hits fans at LPGA's The Annika pro-am
- What Vision Zero Has And Hasn't Accomplished
Ranking
- Mark Zuckerberg Records NSFW Song Get Low for Priscilla Chan on Anniversary
- Man sentenced to life without parole in 1991 slaying of woman
- The Rock could face Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania and fans aren't happy
- Why Glen Powell’s Mom Described Him as a “Little Douchey”
- Fire crews gain greater control over destructive Southern California wildfire
- Why Miley Cyrus Nearly Missed Her First-Ever Grammy Win
- Edmonton Oilers winning streak, scoring race among things to watch as NHL season resumes
- Grim California weather forecast says big cities could face 'life-threatening flooding'
Recommendation
-
Horoscopes Today, November 12, 2024
-
At least 46 were killed in Chile as forest fires move into densely populated areas
-
5.1 magnitude earthquake near Oklahoma City felt in 5 states, USGS says
-
Funeral held for 7 of the 8 victims in Joliet-area shootings
-
Video shows masked man’s apparent attempt to kidnap child in NYC; suspect arrested
-
How Donald Trump went from a diminished ex-president to the GOP’s dominant front-runner
-
NFL takes flag football seriously. Pro Bowl highlights growing sport that welcomes all
-
Lionel Messi effect: Inter Miami sells out Hong Kong Stadium for Saturday practice