Deputy jailer held in connection with Zimmerman escape

Aug 26, 2024- A new turn in the case of Joshua Zimmerman today when it was announced that a former deputy jailer was charged in connection with Zimmerman’s escape in mid-June. 

That’s according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which today issued a statement announcing the arrest of Ronnie Hunt.

“The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) has arrested one individual in connection to the escaped inmate, Joshua Zimmerman,” the statement read. “Ronnie Hunt has been arrested and charged under MS Code 97-9-27, “escape of prisoners and conveying articles useful for the escape of prisoners,” and additional charges are probable. 

Further details are being withheld about Hunt’s involvement in the Zimmerman case and MBI is not commenting further because it is an ongoing investigation. 

Reports are Hunt was dropped from the Sheriff’s Department late last week and that he is now being held in Lafayette County.

Zimmerman was being held on robbery and attempted murder charges in Southaven and was at the courthouse for a hearing when he escaped on June 14. He was also sought in a 2023 murder case of a 23-year-old woman from Houston, Texas and was sought in another case from Connecticut. 

The two-month search for Zimmerman ended Aug. 22 at a near-West Side Chicago restaurant after an overnight barricade. He remains held in the Cook County Jail in Chicago without bond and with a Sept. 20 court date scheduled. 

Little has been said about the particulars in the case from the law enforcement side. The District Attorney’s office earlier claimed it had video detailing Zimmerman’s escape but it was deleted with District Attorney Matthew Barton charging someone with the Sheriff’s Department being involved. That’s a charge the Sheriff’s Department has denied and since the volley of charges and denials, a gag order was placed that keeps Barton’s office from talking about the case.