Post by Modesto Anarcho on May 29, 2007 1:22:16 GMT -5
Inmates escape, 2 found: One remains on loose
By Lauren Keene/Enterprise staff writer
Published May 26, 2007 - 19:43:44 CDT.
Yolo County sheriff's deputies were searching the Spring Lake area of Woodland this morning in search of three inmates who escaped Thursday night from the jail's minimum-security facility.
As of 10 a.m., deputies had two of the three men in custody, and were still searching for the third.
Mark Amacher, 28; Jose Torres, 35; and Alexander Roberts, 21; are believed to have escaped from the jail at about 10 p.m., when an off-duty Davis police officer spotted the trio heading toward a new construction area of the Spring Lake development and alerted the Sheriff's Department, Capt. Rich Williams said.
A check of the Leinberger Center, where the men had been housed, revealed a broken window on the south side of the facility. A blanket had been thrown over the razor-wire fence surrounding the facility, apparently to prevent injury as the men climbed the fence, Williams said.
Deputies established a perimeter in the Spring Lake area Thursday night but were unable to find the inmates. However, they returned to the area at about 7:45 a.m. today after receiving reports of a possible new sighting.
Williams did not know which of the three inmates had been captured, but confirmed they had been found in the Spring Lake area. Although the third inmate is considered nonviolent, citizens should exercise caution and call 911 if they cross his path.
Amacher and Roberts are Woodland residents, while Torres is from Sacramento.
The three escapees are accused of auto theft, burglary and fraud, Williams said. However, all three now face an additional charge of escape, which is a felony.
Named after a Yolo County deputy sheriff who was killed in the line of duty, the minimum-security Walter J. Leinberger Center primarily is a working facility, designed to house sentenced inmates who work at various city, county and state agencies to reduce their jail time. Inmates there also may participate in drug-recovery and educational programs.
However, the center also houses nonviolent overflow inmates from the nearby Monroe Detention Center, and each inmate is thoroughly screened before being transferred to Leinberger, Williams said.
- Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 747-8048.
