Two men have escaped from a prison in Newport News, Virginia. However, his stint with freedom did not last long. Because a few hours later they were found and arrested by the police: in a pancake restaurant in the next town.
The two men managed to escape by digging a hole in the wall of the prison building with “primitive” tools made from a toothbrush and a metal object, reports CNN, among others. The two occupants were housed in a less secure annex and could have exploited a “construction weakness” there.
On Monday night, the 37-year-old man and the 43-year-old man were reported missing during a check. But already in the early hours of Tuesday morning, they were caught in a pancake restaurant in the city of Hampton. Other citizens saw her there and called the police. The police had already published photos of the fugitives.
A local police spokeswoman said she could not comment on exactly how the men managed to penetrate the wall with their toothbrush tool and eventually escape for security reasons. Until all these “construction weaknesses” in the building are identified and corrected, no further information can be provided.
The two men were in custody on multiple charges, including contempt of court, parole violation, credit card fraud, burglary and possession of burglary tools. Now they too are being sued for their escape. In Germany, prison escape itself is not punishable. However, anyone who damages objects such as fences or the like or takes people hostage in the process can also be prosecuted here.