MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) said Joshua Zimmerman, who escaped from a DeSoto County courthouse in June, is being extradited back to Mississippi.
The MBI refused further comment on the case.
The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office said at the time of the escape, Zimmerman had been arrested by Southaven Police and charged with several felonies, including attempted murder. He was also awaiting extradition to Houston, Texas, where he was charged with murder, the U.S. Marshals Service said.
He was being held at the DeSoto County Adult Detention Center ahead of his morning hearing on Friday, June 14, 2024, then taken to court in Hernando, where he escaped. He was being held originally on a total of $1,075,000 bond, according to jail records.
DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas E. Tuggle said during a press conference on June 19 that moments after Zimmerman removed his handcuffs and escaped custody inside the courthouse, he ran to a nearby gas station asking for a ride and was able to convince a man to drive him to Memphis.
Zimmerman was captured in Chicago Aug. 21. The DeSoto County Sheriff's Office said U.S. Marshals found Zimmerman at a restaurant the day before, and he barricaded himself inside. He was taken into custody the next morning.
A deputy jailer was charged in connection with Zimmerman’s escape.
The DeSoto County Sheriff's Department said it set new security procedures and that "the weaknesses that were exposed from Zimmerman's escape have been rectified.”
On June 20, DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton announced his office would open an investigation into how Zimmerman escaped from custody, and why video of his escape was deleted from the servers, according to Barton.
Barton would not identify any organization by name that he said took the state’s evidence from his server, but the grand jury investigation would let the people decide.
