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DeSoto inmate escaped through courthouse ‘design flaw,’ sheriff says

By , Daily Memphian Updated: June 20, 2024 4:53 PM CT | Published: June 19, 2024 5:37 PM CT

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. 


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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. 

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DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas Tuggle DeSoto County sheriff DeSoto County Joshua Zimmerman Subscriber Only

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Rob Moore

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.

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