KENOSHA — A Kenosha inmate who prosecutors say did a brazen escape from the Kenosha Correctional Center appeared in court Monday, where a $150,000 cash bond was set.
Jonathan Taylor, 31, faces a felony escape charge with a repeater modifier, which could add up to four additional years to any sentence imposed.
According to the criminal complaint, on May 5th at approximately 3:23 p.m., Taylor was in a temporary lock-up area at the Kenosha Correctional Center waiting to be transferred to Racine Correctional Institute. A social worker opened the food port on his door to speak with him. Prosecutors say Taylor stuck his hand through the food port, tampered with the door lock, and let himself out. When the social worker tried to block him, Taylor pushed past and fled through the southeast side of the building.
Watch: Kenosha Correctional Center inmate who spent 8 days on the run appears in court; $150K cash bond set
Officers immediately set up a perimeter, deployed a drone, and notified nearby schools as a precaution. Taylor was spotted hopping fences on 15th Avenue — and then he vanished.
Later that day, Taylor walked into a Kenosha salon and asked to use a phone. When the employee declined, he said thank you and ran. That same employee later saw a Facebook post about the escape, recognized Taylor, and called the police.
Detectives also obtained a warrant for Taylor's Facebook account after learning he had sent a message before the escape. That warrant helped the U.S. Marshals Service Task Force zero in on his location.
On May 13th — eight days after the escape — Taylor was found at a residence on West Lawn Avenue in Racine and taken into custody. A viewer sent TMJ4 News a video of the moment he was arrested.
Court records show Taylor has a criminal history dating back to 2012 — including battery, burglary, domestic abuse, and fleeing an officer.
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