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Former DeSoto County prison guard arrested in connection with inmate escape

An arrest was made in connection with the escape of inmate Joshua Zimmerman from the DeSoto County Adult Detention Center in June.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has arrested Ronnie Hunt and charged him with “escape from prison and transportation of articles useful for escape from prison.” The MBI said more charges are likely.

According to the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office, Hunt previously worked as a jail guard and was fired. It is unclear if the firing occurred before or after his arrest.

This is just the latest development in the case, which resulted in Zimmerman being taken into custody again in Chicago on Wednesday, August 21.

Here's a look at the current state of affairs.

When will the escaped Mississippi prisoner be extradited?

It is unclear when Zimmerman will be extradited to DeSoto County. He was arrested on Aug. 21 after a 14-hour standoff with a SWAT team during which he barricaded himself inside a west Chicago restaurant where he reportedly worked.

According to court records, Zimmerman has a court date in Chicago set for September 20 – extradition is unlikely to occur before then.

Before his escape, Zimmerman was eventually extradited to Houston, Texas, where he was charged with the murder of a 23-year-old woman.

Zimmerman was in custody in DeSoto County on charges of attempted murder and armed robbery.

Who is investigating the DeSoto County inmate escape?

In a statement released Friday, the Mississippi Attorney General's Office and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation announced their investigation into Zimmerman's escape.

Both offices said they would release more information as their investigations progress.

Additionally, DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton ordered a grand jury investigation on June 22 after video footage of Zimmerman's escape was deleted from his office's servers. It is unclear if that investigation is ongoing. The DA's office remains subject to a July 22 news blackout that prohibits it from speaking further about the case.

How did an inmate in DeSoto County escape from custody?

While a hearing was scheduled for June 14 at the DeSoto County Courthouse, Zimmerman simply left the building and, with the help of a “good Samaritan,” got a ride to Memphis, where he disappeared for a time.

DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas E. Tuggle II said he took advantage of a design flaw in the building to escape, breaking free of his handcuffs in the process. Tuggle said the flaw was quickly corrected and clarified at the time that Zimmerman had no outside help in his escape.

Just over a week later, District Attorney Barton claimed that video evidence of the escape had been deleted from his office's servers and ordered a grand jury investigation. Barton said he knew who deleted the video and described the situation as a “conspiracy to cover up and suppress certain evidence regarding the escape.”

Jacob Wilt is a reporter at The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at [email protected].

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