Tucson police search for partially nude man who escaped custody

from arizona daily star

Tucson Police are searching for a man who escaped from Tucson City Court this morning, ditched most of his clothes and kept running.

Joe Ochoa, 41, of the 6700 block of East 17th Street, was supposed to appear for a drug paraphernalia violation and also had pending felony charges of burglary, theft and probation violations.

Police say his hands are cuffed to his waist and he is wearing only gray boxers. They found his clothing just outside the court.

Ochoa was being taken from the Pima County jail to the court when he escaped the custody of a city marshal around 8:35 a.m. Police have been searching the Downtown and North Fourth Avenue areas since just afterward.

Tucson High Magnet School, Roskruge Bilingual Magnet School and Mansfeld Middle School went into lockdown around 9 a.m. Students were staying inside their classrooms, but the restrictions have been lifted as police pare down their search efforts.

Ochoa is about 6 feet tall, weighs 185 pounds and has blond hair.

Police ask anyone who sees him to call 911.