Convicted murderer held nurse, officer hostage at Joliet hospital
SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE - A convicted murderer held a nurse and a correctional officer hostage for less than an hour early Wednesday at a hospital in southwest suburban Joliet.
Joshua Matthews, 32, was taken by ambulance from Stateville Correctional Center to Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Corrections.
At 3:35 a.m. Wednesday, Matthews pulled out a makeshift weapon and told an assigned correctional officer and a certified nurse’s assistant that they were being held hostage, according to the statement.
The Joliet Police Department responded to the scene at 3:55 a.m., and Matthews was taken into custody less than an hour later, at 4:20 a.m., according to the statement. No injuries were reported.
The IDOC is investigating the incident along with Joliet police and hospital staff.
Matthews is serving a 100-year sentence for a DuPage County murder at Stateville, according to IDOC records. He has been in prison since Feb. 24, 2011, and previously served two four-year sentences for robbery and aggravated battery.