GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Justin Dietrich made his initial appearance Friday at the Brown County Courthouse via Zoom from the Brown County Jail. He's charged with escaping from the jail on Monday morning. However, he was located and taken into custody late the next day.
"We don't think that the defendant was a public safety risk when he escaped, but certainly his actions of escaping from jail demonstrate that he was not going to comply with court orders," the Green Bay Asst. District Attorney Natalie Mulvey said. She appeared on behalf of the State of Wisconsin.
New information shows Dietrich allegedly wasn't alone in his efforts to escape.
Justice Thibodeaux appeared for his initial appearance today via Zoom from the Brown County Jail. He's charged with conspiracy to commit harboring or aiding a felon. He allegedly helped Dietrich escape.
The criminal complaint states Thibodeaux works in the kitchen of the jail, described as a non-secure area, and allegedly helped Dietrich escape via the loading dock on a meal cart. Furthermore, Thibodeaux told officers he knows Dietrich outside of jail and didn't think he would follow through with the plan.
"The case is strong," Mulvey said. "It was on surveillance video and the co-defendant (Thibodeaux) confessed."
Surveillance video shows the interaction between the two men, talking while Dietrich is on the meal cart. Thibodeaux points towards the exit. The criminal complaint state Thibodeaux did admit to knowing about Dietrich's escape prior to the incident, and then gave officers a detailed description of the plan.
Dietrich received a $20-thousand cash bond; Thibodeaux received a $5-thousand cash bond. Both were granted preliminary hearings set for September 19th.
