Sheriff: Lake County escapee captured in Wisconsin

Lake County authorities captured a 33-year-old Wisconsin man Wednesday afternoon, about 4½ hours after he escaped the county courthouse. The escape came moments after he was ordered incarcerated.

Isiah Jarrett, 33, of Mount Pleasant, faces a felony escape charge after he was apprehended at his home at about 3:30 p.m. by Lake County Sheriff's Warrants Team and U.S. Marshals Service - Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force.

Lake County sheriff's police said Jarrett placed items against the front door in an effort to barricade it, but the warrants team was able to enter and arrest him without further incident.

Jarrett fled the Waukegan courthouse about 11 a.m. Wednesday when Lake County Judge Veronica O'Malley ordered him jailed on $50,000 bail for failing a drug screening, according to sheriff's police.

When a court security officer tried to take Jarrett into custody, the Wisconsin man pushed away and ran out the courtroom, Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Christopher Covelli said.

Jarrett ran into a stairwell and down several flights of stairs - pulling a fire alarm along the way - before leaving through a ground floor door and getting into a waiting vehicle, authorities say. The alarm led to a full evacuation of the courthouse.

The vehicle was later pulled over by police on Route 120 near Green Bay Road in Waukegan, but Jarrett was no longer inside, Covelli said.

"Police are investigating the involvement of the driver in the incident," Covelli said.

Assistant Lake County State's Attorney Jason Grindel said Jarrett was in court on charges of aggravated driving under the influence of drugs stemming from a Jan. 24 accident in Gurnee. As a condition of his bail, Jarrett was barred from using illegal drugs or alcohol.

Jarrett was taken to the Racine County Jail after his arrest where he will be held pending extradition to Lake County.