The two prisoners spent only a few hours outside their cell before being arrested again.
You can’t say they were hiding. Two American prisoners escaped from their cell at a jail in eastern Virginia on Monday night after digging a hole in the wall of their cell with toothbrushes, among other things. But a few hours later, thanks to a report to the police, the authorities found them in a fast food restaurant specializing in pancakes.
Prison guards in the city of Newport News were surprised to find John Garza, 37, and Arley Nemo, 43, missing around 7:15 p.m. Monday, authorities said in a statement.
A run of just a few kilometers
The prisoners managed to exploit “a gap” in the prison building’s structure by using tools consisting of a toothbrush and a metal object to loosen loose hardware in a wall, police said. So they managed to form a hole through which they slipped and then scaled the prison fence.
However, the run was short-lived. After walking several miles, the two fugitives arrived at an International House of Pancakes (IHOP) pancake restaurant in nearby Hampton, where they were arrested Tuesday morning, police said.
“Thank you to the citizens who saw Garza and Nemo at the IHOP and notified law enforcement,” Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan said in the statement.
John Garza was jailed specifically for violating his probationary period and Arley Nemo for bank card fraud, forgery and use of forgeries, theft and concealment of stolen goods.