A pair of prisoners at the jail in Newport News, Virginia, managed to tunnel through their cell wall and escape after hopping a subsequent security barrier.
Inmates John Garza and Arley Nemo, having escaped just before 6 p.m. Monday, were noticed missing during headcount at 7:15 p.m. This spurred a search of their cell, uncovering the tunnel they had dug to get outside the jail.
Law enforcement has not specified how the two prisoners were able to dig through the wall.
A manhunt was launched. All the while, the pair walked about 6.6 miles and for about two hours and 15 minutes to an IHOP in nearby Hampton, Virginia.
A tip from a member of the public helped notify law enforcement of Garza and Nemo’s location, and the pair were re-apprehended at the IHOP by the Hampton Police Department at around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The duo surrendered peacefully, according to the Daily Press newspaper.
Mr. Garza, a 37-year-old from Hampton, was in jail on charges of probation violations, contempt of court, and failure to appear.
Mr. Nemo, a 43-year-old from Gloucester, Virginia, was in jail on charges of credit card fraud, credit card larceny, grand larceny, forgery, possession of burglary tools, probation violations, and contempt of court, according to the Newport News Sheriff’s Office.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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