Joshua A. Kennedy
GALLATIN CO., Ill. - A young man from Mississippi is in custody tonight at the White County Jail in Carmi after admitting to authorities that he concocted an armed robbery event...in the middle of one of the biggest manhunts we've had in southern Illinois since Clint Pendleton.
White County officials confirmed that Joshua A. Kennedy, 28, of Hernando, Mississippi, was the one who made a 911 call, reporting an armed robbery at Midway BBQ just north of the village of Omaha and just south of the White County line (in fact, 141 IS the county line), just east of the junction of Highways 1 and 141 in Gallatin County, this happening just before 1 p.m. today, Wednesday, June 20.
For those unfamiliar with the area, here's a map; the old BBQ joint is positioned next to Black's Automotive on the south side of 141, which is the most expedient way for folks over here to get to Indiana:
We don't know many details yet, but we do know that Kennedy had made the report, which sent a number of local and state officials to the area, as they were naturally concerned about the White County Jail escapees, Zac Shock and Johnny Tipton, who haven't been located yet and have been at large since very early Saturday morning.
Whether Kennedy knew about the escapees is unknown at this point in the process.
However, he was taken into custody and questioned, and ultimately admitted to officials that he'd made up the report. So he was arrested by Gallatin authorities, and is being held for Gallatin in the White County Jail tonight.
When we learn more, we'll post...so keep a tab open or mark your RSS feeds with this page, so you can stay up to date with accurate information.