Washington, Mar 21 (EFE).- Two prisoners in the town of Newport News, Virginia, escaped from jail by digging out with a modified toothbrush and scaling a wall before being captured at a pancake joint, city authorities said Tuesday.
John M. Garza and Arley V. Nemo were apparently discovered missing during a routine head count on Monday evening.
“The two men began to exploit a construction design weakness utilizing primitive-made tools constructed from a toothbrush and metal object,” the local Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
“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.”
The two men, who were jailed last year for minor crimes, also had to scale a containment wall in order to leave the area.
They were caught Tuesday morning at an IHOP (International House of Pancakes) 11 kilometers (7 miles) away, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“I’m thankful for the citizens who observed Garza and Nemo at the IHOP and notified law enforcement,” Sheriff Gabe Morgan said in the statement.
A team of city engineers is now working on ways to mitigate the “facility weakness.”
Charges relating to his escape are yet to be announced. EFE
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