January 1, 2 Escaped Inmates Found at Nearby IHOP

Two inmates successfully escaped from a Virginia jail, but they were found a few hours later at a nearby IHOP restaurant, police said.

Authorities first became aware that inmates John Garza, 37, and Arley Nemo, 43, were missing during a routine head count around 7:15 p.m. on Monday night, the Newport News Sheriff’s Office (NNSO) said in a press release.

The pair escaped from the Newport News Jail Annex by exploiting “a construction design weakness utilizing primitive-made tools constructed from a toothbrush and metal object,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Those tools facilitated their access to untied rebars between the walls. Once gaining access to the rebar, they used it to further make their escape.” Once the men were outside but still within the containment wall, they scaled the wall and ran free.

Their freedom was short-lived, however. Authorities had asked for the public’s help to find the jailbirds, and they were apprehended again early Tuesday morning. Just hours after their, around 3:30 or 4:00 a.m., IHOP diners noticed the escaped inmates and contacted police.

Sheriff Gabe Morgan said he is “thankful for the citizens who observed Garza and Nemo at the IHOP and notified law enforcement.”

“It reinforces what we always say ‘see something, say something,'” he added.

An investigation is ongoing to help prevent any such escape from happening again, and any charges related to the escape are pending, the sheriff’s office said.

Garza had been in custody on charges including contempt of court, probation violations, and failure to appear.

Nemo was being held on charges including credit card fraud, forgery, grand larceny, and probation violation.

Source: The Blaze