An inmate who escaped from a courthouse in Mississippi this summer was apprehended Wednesday in Chicago near the Democratic National Convention.
Joshua Zimmerman, 30, was being held on charges of attempted murder and armed robbery at the DeSoto County Circuit Court Building in Hernando, Mississippi, when he escaped June 14, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Meanwhile, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Texas was waiting to extradite him on the murder charge.
Mr. Zimmerman is also wanted in Connecticut on a charge of absconding, according to the DeSoto County District Attorney’s Office.
On Tuesday, law enforcement tried arresting Mr. Zimmerman at Seafood Junction in Chicago where he had found work, U.S. marshals told Memphis, Tennessee, Fox affiliate WHBQ-TV.
He proceeded to barricade himself inside and hid in the ceiling, the marshals said, according to The New York Times. There was no connection between the incident and the DNC, despite the restaurant’s proximity.
Law enforcement doesn’t know how long Mr. Zimmerman was in Chicago or how he got there, DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Justin Smith said.
The barricade resulted in a SWAT standoff from 4 p.m. Tuesday to 7:20 a.m. Wednesday, the Chicago Police Department told The Associated Press. Mr. Zimmerman was then taken into custody, U.S. Marshals Service spokeswoman Abigail Meyer said.
The circumstances of Mr. Zimmerman’s escape are under investigation. After changing out of a jumpsuit and into civilian clothes, he apparently just walked out of the courthouse before catching a ride out of town, according to Memphis CBS affiliate WREG-TV.
Video evidence of his escape was deleted off the DeSoto County District Attorney’s Office servers, according to The Commercial Appeal.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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