Deputies were working to track down an inmate who escaped the Logan County Jail.
Joseph Knox walked away from the jail around 10 a.m. Tuesday. Investigators said that Knox, 36, walked away from the garden section and was not seen again. He was assigned to work as a trustee.
Investigators said that kitchen staff as well as other inmates alerted authorities to Knox's disappearance.
Knox began his sentence for contempt charges at the jail on July 19 and was expected to be released on Oct. 22.
After his escape, a woman told investigators that she saw a man matching Knox's description approached her and asked for gas. She said that he was riding a red dirt bike.
Three hours later, officers were dispatched to a home on North Detroit Street, where a .22 caliber handgun and ammunition were taken. Police found a motorcycle helmet in a cemetery near the break-in scene.
A short time later, a homeowner reported that a man matching Knox's description broke into an Urbana home. The homeowner gave chase, at which time the person matching Knox's description fired shots.
“I didn’t do nothing,” said resident Norman Kennedy. “Well, I had the hockey stick, so I poked at his chest. I said, ‘You broke into my house, dirt bag.’ The trees are kind of thin, so he darted into that, so I took a swing at him, hit him with the stick and he yelled ‘Ouch’ like a girl.”
Investigators said that Knox also has a warrant for contempt of court out of Madison County.
Champaign County officials confirmed that they also were searching for Knox’s father and his pick-up truck.
Anyone with information about Knox's location is asked to call 937-592-5731. A reward was being offered for information leading to his arrest.
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