Man flees court

BROWNSTOWN - A 19-year-old Seymour man facing two years in prison after his probation was revoked Wednesday made a brief bid for freedom from Jackson Circuit Court.

Joshua Eli Shelton now finds himself looking at an additional two to eight years in prison if convicted on an escape charge. That's what he was preliminarily charged with Wednesday.

According to police reports, Shelton's probation revocation hearing had been set for 11 a.m. He had been free on probation from an earlier Class D felony sex crime conviction, court officials said today.

Jackson Circuit Judge Bill Vance revoked Shelton's probation and ordered the remainder of the sentence, about two years, be served.

Before Vance could advise Shelton of his right to appeal the decision, Shelton asked Seymour

Police Lt. Jack Hauer a question and then fled from the courtroom, followed by Hauer.

Hauer captured Shelton outside the courthouse with the assistance of several people, including Chief Deputy Prosecutor Amy Marie Travis.

Robin Wischmeier, a bookkeeper in the county clerk's office, said she and her co-workers were going about their duties when Shelton raced past their office, with Hauer and others behind him.

"We were working and heard a shout," Wischmeier said this morning. "It sounded like ‘halt.' We all turned around and heard a loud ruckus.

"The two girls at the counter saw a young man run out followed by a police officer, then members of the prosecutor's office were running out and we found out someone had escaped from the courtroom," she added.

Wischmeier said Shelton ran across Sugar Street and behind a house, so she didn't see his apprehension by Hauer and Travis, who could not be reached for comment this morning.

Hauer and other Seymour police officers were working at the Jackson County Jail and courts Wednesday morning while officers with the sheriff's department attended the funeral of Linda Hounshel, a former jail matron and wife of former sheriff Jerry Hounshel.

Workers in the clerk's office saw Shelton being chased and one of them triggered the panic button, alerting personnel at the jail that there was an emergency at the courthouse and scrambling officers to help.

After he was caught and taken to jail, Shelton was returned to court to face Vance a second time.

There, Vance advised Shelton of his right to appeal the probation revocation and of his intent to appoint an attorney to represent him, including against a possible escape charge.

Since Vance and Travis could potentially be called as witnesses to the escape, the case could require the appointment of a special judge and special prosecutor.