Man who fled court during jury deliberations sentenced to life

A Kentucky man has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of sex crimes in Harrison County.

55-year-old Jimmy Joe Davis was in court in May and the jury was deliberating charges of sexual battery and touching a child for lustful purposes when he left court and fled the area.

The jury returned guilty verdicts in the case.

After multiple attempts to reach Davis, the judge issued a warrant for Davis’ arrest. A national manhunt ensued and he was located in July in Saline County, Illinois.

Davis initially fought extradition, but was ultimately sent back to Mississippi on October 10, 2024. He was sentenced November 5, 2024, to the maximum sentence of life on the sexual battery charge, and the maximum sentence of 15 years on the touching of a child for lustful purposes charge, which will run concurrently.

Davis was also ordered to pay the cost of extradition and other mandatory assessments. Due to the nature of the crimes of which Davis was convicted, he will be required to serve his sentences, day-for-day, without the possibility of parole or early release.

“This defendant robbed a young child of her innocence to satisfy his own depraved and immoral sexual desires,:” said District Attorney Crosby Parker. “The jury’s verdict and the life sentenced imposed by the court will ensure that no other child will fall victim to this predator. I want to also highlight the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force for their relentless pursuit of this defendant to ensure he was punished for the crimes he committed.”