A man is facing a federal charge of escape from custody after mistakenly being released from the Madison County Detention Center.
Aaron Shanks, 49, was in custody on state charges and had recently been sentenced to five years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of an unregistered firearm. However, on August 13, the detention center accidentally released Shanks, despite his federal detainer.
The error was only discovered on November 21 when the U.S. Probation Office realized Shanks was no longer in custody and alerted the U.S. Marshals. A subsequent investigation confirmed the accidental release.
Authorities noted that Shanks has not contacted federal officials or surrendered himself to begin serving his 60-month sentence. A U.S. Marshal has requested a federal arrest warrant for Shanks. The case remains under investigation.
