TROUP COUNTY, Ga. — Troup County Sheriff’s Office says an inmate that escaped Sunday morning has been taken into custody in metro Atlanta.
Christian Joel-Marcos Cortez was taken into custody Sunday night by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. The capture comes after investigators found out that Cortez may have traveled to Acworth.
“Our appreciation to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the LaGrange Police Department, Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Corrections and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations for their assistance in this case,” Troup County Sheriff’s Office said.
Cortez, 20, was last seen at 4:42 a.m. Sunday. Jail staff discovered he was missing at 9:30 a.m.
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Investigators determined that Cortez walked out of an outer door and climbed an exterior fence to leave the jail property.
He’s charged with child molestation and has been in custody without bond since June 2025, according to jail records.
A deputy with the Troup County Sheriff’s Office is currently on the way to Cherokee County to take custody of Cortez. The internal investigation is ongoing to determine how Cortez was able to make it out of the jail facility.
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