DeSoto inmate escaped through courthouse ‘design flaw,’ sheriff says
DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas E. Tuggle said Joshua Zimmerman’s extensive criminal history equipped him to escape. (Rob Moore/The Daily Memphian file)
A DeSoto County inmate, facing felony charges across three states, escaped the Hernando courthouse last week through a fault in the building’s design, according to the sheriff’s department.
“This was a career criminal,” DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas E. Tuggle II said during a press conference Wednesday, June 19. “He knew what he was doing, and he exploited — I guess you’d say — a soft spot in the courthouse, and he benefited from it.”
Tuggle declined to elaborate on the flaw but said it has been fixed and should not pose a similar problem in the future.
Joshua Zimmerman, 31, was in court Friday, June 14, for a hearing related to multiple felony charges in DeSoto County including attempted murder, armed robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Images released by the sheriff’s department appear to show Zimmerman walking out of a door of the courthouse unaccompanied.
Topics
DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas Tuggle DeSoto County sheriff DeSoto County Joshua Zimmerman Subscriber OnlyThank you for being a subscriber to The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
As a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization with a hybrid business model, we rely on a mix of revenue from subscriptions (50%), advertising, events and miscellaneous earned income (25%) and fundraising (25%).
Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian today.
👉 Your subscription pays for you to read all our journalism.
👉 Your donation powers the work we do to reach everyone else with the news.
We believe an informed Memphis is a better Memphis. If you agree, join our growing list of donors now.
Rob Moore
Rob Moore covers North Mississippi for The Daily Memphian. He holds a B.A. and an M.A. in English from The University of Memphis.
Suburbs - North Mississippi on demand
Sign up to receive Suburbs - North Mississippi stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Comments
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.