ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Two inmates at the St. Johns County Detention Center were arrested June 22 on new charges after detectives say they plotted an escape that included breaking a cell window and trying to get contraband delivered by drone.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said Joseph Silcott, 20, and Joseph Izzi, 38, were charged after corrections detectives filed new charges June 3 and, with help from the State Attorney’s Office, formally arrested the men June 22.
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Silcott was charged with aggravated assault in a county jail, false imprisonment, attempted escape, conspiracy to commit escape, criminal mischief ($1,000 or more), five counts of possession of contraband for escape in a county detention facility and three counts of attempting to introduce contraband into a county detention facility, the sheriff’s office said.
Izzi was charged with attempted escape, conspiracy to commit escape, two counts of possession of contraband for escape in a county detention facility, criminal mischief ($1,000 or more), tampering with physical evidence and giving false information to law enforcement.
Both inmates had been housed in the same cell on multiple felony charges and had no bond. Silcott was previously arrested on robbery with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and resisting. Izzi was previously arrested on multiple felonies including human trafficking and child sex crimes, the release said.
The investigation began May 16 after Izzi told staff his cellmate had a weapon and threatened him. Deputies searched the cell and found six metal objects, two with sharpened edges, damage to the sink and toilet apparatus, and a broken cell window that created a clear opening to the outdoors, the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives reviewed surveillance video, recorded inmate phone calls and interviewed witnesses. The office said footage showed both inmates damaging the toilet and breaking the window and captured them sweeping up and flushing glass. Investigators say the inmates used toilet paper, soap and toothpaste to create a caulking substance to conceal the damage.
Detectives allege the pair planned to create a hole in the cell wall after removing the toilet and sink, then use the broken window to receive contraband dropped by drone. The sheriff’s office said recorded phone calls included a request for “a sawblade, a ‘finger phone’ and narcotics” to be flown through the window, and that Izzi later gave a post‑Miranda confession describing the plan and the contraband drop.
According to the release, the inmates’ partnership deteriorated after Silcott learned of Izzi’s prior charges; Silcott allegedly threatened Izzi with a homemade edged weapon and stole his canteen items, prompting Izzi to report the weapons. Detectives said an investigation into outside accomplices is active.
“An escape attempt is something our agency takes very seriously. We will not tolerate inmates attempting to plan an escape or those helping them. The investigation is ongoing, and more charges are forthcoming. Everyone will be held accountable for their actions in St. Johns County,” Sheriff Rob Hardwick said.