Offender in Louisiana Escapes From Courthouse in Avoyelles Parish, Apprehended Hiding Behind Building Across Street From Courthouse

Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana – An offender in Louisiana escaped from a courthouse in Avoyelles Parish and was quickly apprehended hiding behind a building across the street from the courthouse.

The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office (APSO) said on April 17, 2023, that at around 4:35 p.m., Deputies reported the escape of a male offender from the Avoyelles Parish District Courthouse in Marksville, Louisiana.

The offender fled on foot, still wearing an orange jumpsuit, handcuffs, and shackles, through an unsecured second-floor exit. Deputies and detectives from Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana Probation and Parole, Marksville Police Department, and the Tunica-Biloxi Tribal Police Department all converged on the scene. A perimeter was created in minutes, and the escapee was apprehended and returned to custody without incident in Marksville, Louisiana. The perpetrator was discovered hiding behind the new ART (Amplifying Restoration and Tourism) Building across the street from the Courthouse, near Red River Grill.

The escapee, 20-year-old Travis Joseph Jr. of Martin Luther King Drive in Marksville was arrested for Simple Escape and booked into the Avoyelles Parish DC-1 Jail Facility.

An inquiry into the incident is still underway.

Sheriff David L. Dauzat thanked Louisiana Probation and Parole, Marksville Police Department, and Tunica-Biloxi Tribal Police Department for assisting APSO Deputies in apprehending the escapee.

An arrest is an indication that probable cause exists to believe the subject was involved in the offense alleged. A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.