Indy felon to spend more time behind bars after escaping federal custody

Close-up of judge gavel. (WISH Photo)

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis man was sentenced to spend additional time behind bars after escaping federal custody six months before his release in 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana said on Wednesday.

Jaylen Brancheau, 23, was sentenced to an additional 16 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to escape from federal custody while completing his five-year sentence at a residential reentry center, also known as a halfway house, to inmates who are nearing release as they transition back into the community.

Brancheau was transferred to the halfway house in Oct. 2022 and was scheduled to remain at the facility for six months until his release in April 2023.

On Oct. 22, 2020, Brancheau was sentenced to 60 months, and one day after being convicted of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, court docs say.

According to a press release, Brancheau was granted a church pass and did not return. The release did not say when or how that pass was granted. The U.S. Marshals Service attempted to contact Brancheu multiple times with no success.

In July, Brancheu was located and arrested in Blackford County on a state warrant for resisting law enforcement and reckless driving.

Brancheau will serve his additional 16-month sentence consecutively with his remaining state sentence. He will also serve three years of supervised probation following his release from federal prison.

The federal online prisoner database indicates that Brancheau was released on Aug. 18.

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