U.S. Attorney Timothy Duax | U.S. Department of Justice
A Minnesota man has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for escaping from custody. Joshua Taylor Watson, aged 35 and from Rochester, Minnesota, pleaded guilty on June 10, 2024, to one count of escape from federal custody.
During the plea hearing, Watson acknowledged that he was held at the Gerald R. Hinzman Center under a federal court order due to a prior conviction for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. On January 22, 2024, he left the facility without permission and failed to return. He was subsequently located and arrested in Rochester on January 25, 2024.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams handed down the sentence in Cedar Rapids. Alongside his imprisonment term, Watson will also undergo a three-year supervised release period after serving his sentence. The federal system does not allow parole.
Watson is currently detained by the United States Marshal's Service until he can be transferred to a federal prison.
The prosecution of this case was led by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep. The investigation was conducted by the United States Marshals Service and the Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force.
