Jesus Arroyo was assigned a $100,000 cash bond Wednesday at his initial appearance in Racine County Circuit Court after escaping police custody Tuesday and being on the run for 12 hours.
He is being charged with felony charges of escape and obstruction causing a soft tissue injury to a peace officer as well as a misdemeanor count of repeat obstruction. If convicted on these charges, he faces up to 12 years, nine months and/or up to $30,000 in fines.
While the charges in Racine are serious enough, WISN 12 News is reporting that Arroyo is also under investigation by the FBI for his possible involvement in a series of armed robberies at gas stations in Milwaukee, West Allis and Greenfield. He might also be connected to a homicide last summer in Milwaukee.
Greenfield Police Detective Gregory Hoppe told the station the get-away car used in the robberies was typically a stolen Honda Civic or Accord and that in the commission of the most recent robbery last month, the car was left behind thanks to quick action by a witness.
While the car was running outside the station, someone took the shaved down key out of the ignition, forcing the suspect – believed to be Arroyo – to flee the area on foot instead.
Arroyo was being transported Tuesday from the House of Corrections in Milwaukee to Racine by an agent with the state Department of Corrections. According to the criminal complaint, the agent pulled into the sally port at the Racine County Jail and ordered Arroyo out of the transport vehicle.
Messages to the Department of Corrections have not yet been returned.
The agent said Arroyo ran around the vehicle and darted out the open garage door. By the time the agent reached the garage door to give chase, he lost site of the defendant.
Despite a massive ground and air search for Arroyo, he managed to elude authorities, he later told police, by hiding under a bridge until dark, the complaint reads. A resident in the 200 block of Harrison called police shortly before midnight Tuesday to report an escaped prisoner in the area.
Officers say they set up a perimeter in the area, but Arroyo ran from them anyway, and during the pursuit, an officer fell and hurt his knee. Arroyo was apprehended after being Tased.
Arroyo will next be in court in Racine on June 11 for his preliminary hearing.