Former Mississippi Jail Employee Arrested in Connection with Inmate's Escape

Written with artificial intelligence assistance.

A former deputy jailer has been arrested and charged in connection with the escape of Joshua Zimmerman, an inmate who fled custody in June and was subsequently captured after a dramatic standoff in Chicago, authorities announced Tuesday.

Ronnie Hunt, 32, has been charged with conveying articles useful for the escape of a prisoner, according to Bailey Martin, a spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Martin also indicated that further charges are likely but did not provide information on whether Hunt has legal representation. Following the arrest, Hunt was dismissed from his position and is currently being held in the Lafayette County Jail, approximately an hour's drive from DeSoto County.

Zimmerman, who escaped from the DeSoto County Courthouse in Hernando, Mississippi, on June 14, was being held on charges of attempted murder and armed robbery. He was also awaiting extradition to Houston, Texas, on a murder charge. Authorities reported that Zimmerman managed to evade capture for several months before his arrest in Chicago last week.

The U.S. Marshals Service revealed that Zimmerman was apprehended after a 15-hour standoff at a seafood restaurant in Chicago, located just blocks from the Democratic National Convention. Investigators have suggested that Zimmerman may have been working at the restaurant where he was found. Despite the proximity of his capture to the political event, the Marshals Service confirmed there was no connection or threat to the convention or its attendees.

At the time of his escape, Zimmerman was dressed in civilian clothing—khaki pants and a white shirt—rather than a jail jumpsuit, and was not wearing handcuffs, as shown in a courthouse security video.

Zimmerman's criminal history includes a 2023 charge in Harris County, Texas, where he is accused of fatally shooting Keyanna Mercer at a Houston motel. Mercer was discovered dead from a gunshot wound to the head after a dispute led to her and Zimmerman being asked to leave the motel.

In addition to his Texas charges, Zimmerman was arrested in Connecticut in 2022 on a felony sexual assault charge. Although he pleaded not guilty and was released on a $200,000 bond, a warrant was later issued for his re-arrest.

DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas E. Tuggle II, addressing the escape in a previous statement, asserted that claims of Zimmerman's assistance or possession of extra clothing were unfounded, describing Zimmerman as a "career criminal" with a clear understanding of how to evade law enforcement.

Photo byPexels.com