O’FALLON, Ill. – A local man accused of escaping from custody while serving a sentence for domestic battery faces his latest felony charge in Madison County.
Cory A. Gehrs, 35, of O’Fallon, Ill., was charged on July 24, 2026 with a Class 3 felony count of escape.
Gehrs, who had previously been convicted of domestic battery and sentenced to three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, allegedly knowingly failed to return to the custody of the Madison County Jail before July 20, 2026.
After being sentenced in the domestic battery case, Gehrs was “transported to another county to address pending charges there,” according to the state’s petition to deny his pretrial release from custody in this case.
“He was released from custody inadvertently in that jurisdiction, but did not return to serve his Madison County sentence,” the petition states. “An order was entered on July 17, 2026, ordering the defendant to return to custody in the Madison County Jail by July 20, 2026.”
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office presented the latest case against Gehrs, who now remains in custody at the Madison County Jail.
All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
