One Inmate Convicted And Another Sentenced For Escaping From A Halfway House

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – A federal jury in Tallahassee convicted Frederick Bush, 44, of Tallahassee, Florida of escaping from custody at a Tallahassee halfway house. The guilty verdict, returned today, at the conclusion of a two-day trial, was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Evidence introduced during the trial revealed that Bush was serving an 84-month sentence in federal prison for distribution of a controlled substance. The Bureau of Prisons placed Bush in a halfway house to complete his sentence, with an estimated release date of September 12, 2021.  Bush signed a written acknowledgement of the rules of the halfway house which included notice that he could be prosecuted for escape if he failed to remain at the facility. On June 21, 2021, Bush walked away from the halfway house and was listed as an escapee. Halfway house staff conducted escape procedures which included contacting Bush telephonically and telling him to return to the facility. Bush stated he would not return to the facility. On July 28, 2021, Bush was arrested near Tifton, Georgia on unrelated narcotics charges.

Bush’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 14, 2022, at 3:00 p.m., at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before Senior United States District Judge Robert L. Hinkle. Bush faces up to five years imprisonment.

This conviction resulted from an investigation by the United States Marshal Service. Assistant United States Attorney Meredith L. Steer prosecuted the case.

Bush’s conviction follows the plea and sentencing of Anthony Orlando Gibbs, 46, of Lansing, Michigan, who escaped from the same Tallahassee halfway house on July 3, 2021, and was later arrested on November 10, 2021, in Lansing, Michigan, on unrelated charges. Gibbs plead guilty on April 28, 2022, and was sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Robert L. Hinkle on July 21, 2022, to four months federal prison to be followed by three years of supervise release. The sentence was ordered to be served consecutive to the remaining portion of the prior sentence Gibbs was serving when he absconded.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.