Police find escaped felon in Decatur apartment

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — A convicted felon was able to escape from the Macon County Jail before later being found and rearrested at a Decatur apartment.

The Macon County Sheriff's Office told WAND News that 33-year-old Bryan William Johnson of Decatur escaped while on a work detail inside the facility at 5:45 p.m. Monday.

They said Johnson was able to access an exterior door while the officer supervising the detail was distracted.

Immediately after the escape, Jail Command alerted the Patrol Divisions of the Macon Co. Sheriff’s Office and the Decatur Police Department for help.

Deputies could not initially find him when they searched the immediate area around the facility.

At 7:30 p.m., Johnson was found in an apartment in the 1200 block of North Church St. in Decatur and taken into custody.

He was then returned to the jail and booked on the charge of escape.

Before the escape, Johnson was being held on the charges of a felon being in possession of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

In a statement, the sheriff's office said, "The Macon Co. Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate this escape, and no further information is available for release at this time. We would like to thank the officers from the Decatur Police Department and the U.S. Marshall’s Fugitive Task Force for their assistance in this incident."

Johnson was denied pre-trial release on Tuesday afternoon.