On August 3, 2023, two Dakota County Minnesota Sheriff's Office deputies traveled to Bulloch County, Georgia, to take custody of 35-year-old Joseph Harrison Baynes on a Dakota County complaint warrant for felony harassment.
The deputies took custody of Baynes at the Bulloch County jail at approximately 11:45 a.m. While en route to the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, Baynes managed to escape custody. Local, state, and federal agencies searched for Baynes in a heavily wooded area on airport property for several hours, however were unable to locate him.
The Dakota County Sheriff's Office worked with local, state, and federal law enforcement authorities to locate and bring Baynes into custody. The deputies were uninjured, and Baynes did not have any weapons at the time. He was apprehended around 4pm in Savannah.
Details surrounding how he escaped custody remains under investigation and no further information can be released.
