An offender reported missing Wednesday after the 2 a.m. count at the South Bend Community Re-Entry Center was apprehended in Gary about seven hours later, according to the Indiana Department of Correction.
Gary Police assisted the Indiana Department of Correction Parole Division in locating Eric Johnson, 28, after the DOC discovered he was missing from the facility after the bed check, according to a release from the Indiana Department of Correction.
The South Bend Community Re-Entry Center at 4650 Old Cleveland Road in St. Joseph County is a low-level, minimum-security facility where offenders are housed and are allowed to leave for work. Offenders at the facility typically have less than two years remaining on their sentence and actively are preparing for release, according to DOC.
Johnson was found at a relative’s home in Gary just after 9 a.m. Wednesday by the two agencies, according to officials. He attempted to flee and evade capture by jumping out of a window but was found by officers shortly thereafter.
Johnson was sentenced in 2016 after being convicted of aggravated battery in Lake County. He initially was facing 20 to 50 years on an attempted murder charge for allegedly shooting a man in the head over a traffic incident on May 3, 2013, but pleaded guilty to a lesser offense of aggravated battery in exchange for a 10-year prison sentence.
He was expected to be released from the Department of Correction April 4.
The investigation into how Johnson went missing is underway. Once complete it will be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office to review for criminal charges.
