Former Mississippi Jailer Charged in Inmate’s Escape, Captured Weeks Later in Chicago

A former Mississippi jail employee has been arrested and charged in connection with the June escape of inmate Joshua Zimmerman, who was captured in Chicago last week near the site of the Democratic National Convention, CBS News reports.

Ronnie Hunt, 32, was charged with conveying articles useful for the escape of a prisoner, according to Bailey Martin, spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Martin indicated that additional charges against Hunt are likely.

Hunt, who worked as a deputy jailer for the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department, was recently fired. He is currently being held in a jail in Lafayette County, Mississippi, about an hour’s drive from where he previously worked.

Zimmerman escaped from the DeSoto County Courthouse in Hernando, Mississippi, on June 14, where he was being held on charges of attempted murder and armed robbery. He was also awaiting extradition to Houston on a murder charge related to the fatal shooting of a woman, Keyanna Mercer, at a Houston motel in September 2023. Zimmerman was apprehended last week after a 15-hour standoff with police at a seafood restaurant in Chicago, just blocks from the United Center, the site of the Democratic National Convention. The U.S. Marshals Service has stated that there was no connection or threat to the event or its attendees.

Zimmerman escaped the Mississippi courthouse by wearing street clothes—khaki pants and a white shirt—rather than a jail jumpsuit. He was able to walk past the courtroom, down the stairs, and through metal detectors and guards at the courthouse entrance without being discovered.

Hunt’s exact role in assisting Zimmerman’s escape is unknown, and authorities have not revealed whether Hunt has legal representation at this time.