WICHITA — An Anderson County inmate who escaped from the Ottawa County jail and who pleaded guilty to federal carjacking charges has been sentenced to 18 years. U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom and Kansas Aattorney General Derek Schmidt said that the sentence for Eric Jerome James, 22, will run consecutively to his sentence for a kidnapping and home invasion in Anderson County. That means after he finishes his state sentence, he’ll start the federal sentence. James was one of four state prison inmates who escaped from the Ottawa County jail April 18. Because of overcrowding and state budget cuts, they had been farmed out to Ottawa County from the Ellsworth Correctional Facility. The escape embarrassed state officials. James admitted that he was on foot shortly after fleeing the jail in Minneapolis, when he encountered a man who was leaving home for work, Grissom said. James slugged the man and drove away in his vehicle. He was later captured in Omaha, Neb. In exchange for James’ guilty plea to the federal charges, Schmidt agreed not to file charges in connection with the escape, Grissom said. The other three escapees face state charges of escape.
Monday, Oct. 15, 4 p.m.
