Vandalia Prison Escapee Not Candidate for Release

A spokesman for the Illinois Department of Corrections said reports that a man who escaped last fall from the Vandalia Correctional Center would soon be released are not accurate.

Tom Shaer of IDOC said any report or suggestion that Marcus Battice would be released next week was "absolutely without merit". Shaer also noted that no one called IDOC to ask about Battice's current or future status.

Battice escaped from the prison last September 23 and was apprehended without incident the next morning while walking on a frontage road along I-70 east of Vandalia. He was taken to Pontiac Correctional Center, a maximum security facility.

Battice's parole date on the charges for which he was in prison is coming up in the next few days, but Shaer said that, due to the escape, "it has never been IDOC's intention to do anything other than keep him (Battice) behind bars for a much longer period past his parole date."

On Tuesday, Fayette County State's Attorney Joshua Morrison issued an arrest warrant for Battic for escape from a penal institution. A conviction would likely result in significant time added to Battice's time behind bars.

It's expected Battice will be transported, probably Friday, from Pontiac to the Fayette County Jail.

As for the length of time between the escape and the filing of the escape charge, Shaer said IDOC conducted an investigation lasting more than 90 days, which he said is not an unusual length because it encompassed Battice's escape, physical conditions at Vandalia Correctional Center, employee performance and other factors. He said all of that was completed before the warrant for his sought for Battice's arrest on the escape charge, but the plan was to seek the warrant prior to Battice's parole date.