A convicted felon who was under house arrest was indicted today on a federal charge of escaping custody, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Joaquin Florez, 42, Kansas City, Kansas, is charged with one count of escaping federal custody.
According to documents filed in the case, Florez was sentenced to federal prison in 2015 after being convicted on a drug charge. He was transferred from federal prison to home confinement in Kansas City, Kansas.
On Sept. 13, 2018, the Bonner Springs Police Department notified the U.S. Probation Office that Florez was involved in a police chase in Bonner Springs.
On the same day, Florez called the Grossman Residential Reentry Center in Leavenworth to say he was in a bind. He said he had purchased a vehicle and allowed a friend to drive it. He said the friend was involved in a chase with police, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. The director of the center ordered Florez to return to the center immediately. Florez did not report as required, the U.S. attorney’s office stated.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Marshals Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tris Hunt is prosecuting.