HERNANDO, Miss. — An escaped Mississippi inmate has been located in Chicago and is currently in a standoff with U.S. Marshals.
The DeSoto County Mississippi Sheriff’s Office announced that escaped inmate Joshua Zimmerman is holed up by himself in a Near West Side restaurant located in the 2300 block of West Madison and surrounded by U.S. Marshals, not far from the United Center where the Democratic National Convention is being held.
Zimmerman escaped from a DeSoto County courthouse on June 14 and had not been seen since.
Zimmerman was in the courthouse for a hearing in a case where he was facing an attempted murder charge.
Zimmerman is accused of attacking an elderly Southaven man who hired him to work at his house last September.
But when he went to court, Zimmerman escaped. From the courtroom, down the stairs, past the metal detectors and guards at the front entrance, Zimmerman apparently went unnoticed.
District Attorney Matthew Barton told WGN’s sister station WREG what happened before Zimmerman even got to the courtroom.
“So I’ve actually I’ve seen a video from inside the courthouse,” Barton said. “They came inside the courthouse, they’re going upstairs to the courtroom. He’s wearing shackles and a jumpsuit like everybody else. He broke from the line (and) went through a door. Sometime later, he left the courthouse with no shackles and street clothes.”
The U.S. Marshals’ office and DeSoto County District Attorney’s Office each offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.