A 24-year old Chicago man charged with escape from the Vandalia Correctional Center was found not guilty during a stipulated bench trial held on Monday afternoon. Marcus Battice appeared in Fayette County Court with public defender Bill Starnes for the bench trial which came more than two years after the initial escape charge was filed. In that time, Battice has underwent several fitness evaluations and with the last psych assessment filed by Dr. Jewell in February, the court has found the defendant not guilty by reason of insanity. While the defendant is found not guilty by reason of insanity, he is ordered by the court to be set for a “Thiem” date in which he will go to the Department of Human Services and will be sentenced to a time with DHS that could range from 3-14 years. If DHS declares Battice sane at any time before the three-year mark, Battice could be brought back to Fayette County for a hearing on the matter. If at any time after the three-year mark, Battice is found sane by DHS, he may be released to a halfway house in order to work on his integration back into society. And if Battice remains with DHS for the full 14 years and is found to still not be sane, it is possible that he could be involuntarily committed. Battice was charged in January 2015 with escape from a penal institution. Battice escaped from VCC the afternoon of September 23, 2014 and was found walking along a frontage road parallel to Interstate 70 on the morning of September 24 after a nearly 16-hour search.
Man Charged with Escape from VCC Found Not Guilty by Reason Of Insanity
Effingham, IL / Effingham Radio
Mar 1, 2017 | 10:27 AM