Video evidence of an inmate’s escape from custody was illegally deleted from the DeSoto County District Attorney’s Office servers as part of a “conspiracy,” according to District Attorney Matthew Barton.
The video reportedly showed evidence of Joshua Zimmerman’s escape from the DeSoto County Courthouse in Hernando on Friday, June 14. Zimmerman remains at large.
Barton said the case — including Zimmerman’s escape and alleged evidence tampering — has been turned over to a grand jury for further investigation.
Here’s what we know so far.
How did an inmate escape from the DeSoto County Courthouse?
Zimmerman was scheduled to appear in court on June 14 on attempted murder charges, along with multiple other felony charges. According to information released Wednesday by DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas E. Tuggle II, Zimmerman — wearing nothing but “a pair of underwear, a T-shirt and a pair of shower shoes” — walked out of the courthouse and into an alley, seemingly unnoticed. Tuggle said officers gave chase within about 10 minutes.
“He took advantage of a flaw in the design of the building and escaped from the courthouse,” Tuggle said. Details about the error have not been released, although the sheriff said it has already been fixed.
Tuggle counters that Zimmerman had pre-planned outside help – instead he got a ride to Memphis at the hands of a “Good Samaritan.” Zimmerman reportedly claimed that he had had an argument with his wife and needed a ride. The driver then took him to Memphis.
“This man has no connections in this community,” Tuggle said. “He found someone standing behind one of the gas stations. He’s a charismatic man.’
Tuggle did not say whether Zimmerman was wearing handcuffs or shackles when he escaped, but hinted at the possibility of him escaping those restraints. “I’m sure these inmates spend countless hours trying to circumvent the handcuff system.”
Authorities have not said whether they still believe Zimmerman is in Memphis.
Why were details of the prisoner’s escape released almost a week later?
Tuggle said during his Wednesday news conference that withholding certain information during an investigation into violent criminals is critical to protect both the public and officers. He described it as “reckless” to talk to the media about the case in detail.
“There’s a reason we withheld a lot of information while this was going on,” Tuggle said. “When we do an investigation…we have guys who are on the streets, making connections, dealing with the most hardened criminals in this area. And every time someone came on TV and talked about this case, I said, prayer, because they endangered the lives of our boys, who were deeply embedded in the community.”
Barton criticized that lack of information during his press conference on Thursday.
“As much as it will rock the boat and upset a few people, the fact is that DeSoto County is not one of the good old boys anymore,” Barton said. “It is yours.”
What happened to the video evidence of the prisoner’s escape?
Barton held a news conference Thursday, saying that video surveillance from the courthouse that captured Zimmerman’s escape was deleted from his office’s servers on Wednesday, the same day it was obtained. Barton was confident the video had been obtained by “lawful, traditional and appropriate means.”
“An outside entity, not the state of Mississippi, but local entities, directed county IT to go into my server and delete the state’s evidence,” Barton said. He described the situation as a “conspiracy to cover up and suppress certain evidence relating to the escape.”
The prosecutor also said he had confronted those responsible but declined to release their names.
“It was confirmed, I know which entities did it, and it was admitted,” Barton said. “I can’t say what their motives were.”
What should you do if you see escaped prisoner Joshua Zimmerman?
If you see Zimmerman, call 911 immediately and do not approach him. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency.
Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at jacob.wilt@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: DeSoto County inmate escape: DA says video evidence illegally deleted
