The Clovis, New Mexico jail break refers to an August 24, 2008, jail escape from the Curry County Adult Detention Center.
Eight inmates, all charged with violent crimes, broke out of the Clovis, New Mexico jail by climbing up plumbing pipes in a narrow space inside a wall and using handmade instruments to cut a hole in the roof near a skylight. The process took about seven hours, and the escape was the culmination of several days of planning. The inmates gained access to the pipes by stealing a key left in a door lock while jail guards were making plumbing repairs. Three inmates were recaptured within one day after the escape, and a fourth was caught on August 28. Larry McClendon, Jr., who had been charged with shooting a store clerk to death and was considered one of the most dangerous escapees, was captured in Texas on October 4; his childhood friend Michael England, was captured nine days later. One inmate, Edward Salas, was captured in October 2012. He had been convicted of murdering a 10-year-old boy.
At least four inmates who did not escape were charged with assisting in the jailbreak by attempting to block the escaping inmates from surveillance cameras; authorities said additional inmates may also be charged. Since the prisoners had access to cell doors that were supposed to be locked, investigators were looking into whether the inmates had any assistance from jail staff. Several family members were charged with failing to cooperate with the investigation. Security measures have been revised as a result of the jailbreak and an independent investigation at the facility was conducted. Authorities have cited a long-standing disregard for proper policies and procedures in contributing to the escape, but they do not believe any jail staff deliberately assisted in the escape. The jail break was featured on a September 6 episode of America's Most Wanted. Many at the time noted the similarities in the escape with the hit TV series Prison Break.
Jail break
Escape Eight inmates escaped from the Curry County Adult Detention Center in Clovis on August 24, 2008 by cutting a hole in the roof and leaping off the building. The inmates were: Victor Apodaca, 39, who pleaded guilty to kidnapping, aggravated battery and drug trafficking. Louis Chavez, 18, who had been charged with aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence and extreme cruelty to animals.Blaney, Betsy. "8 inmates escape from NM jail, including murdered." Associated Press, August 25, 2008. Retrieved on September 21, 2008. Michael England, 29, who was awaiting trial on tampering with evidence and felony firearm possession, in connection with McClendon's alleged murder. Raynaldo Jeremy Enriquez, 19, who was indicted for burglary and assault charges. Larry McClendon, Jr., 19, who was charged with shooting a store clerk to death. Edward Salas, 21, who was serving a life sentence in prison for the murder of a 10-year-old boy.McCormick, Annie. "Charges filed in escape." KRQE, August 27, 2008. Retrieved on September 21, 2008.Johnson, Sharna. "Fourth escapee captured late Thursday." Clovis News Journal, August 29, 2008. Retrieved on September 21, 2008. Victor Sotelo, 26, who was awaiting trial on aggravated assault charges for an alleged stabbing. Javier Zapata, 19, was charged with aggravated assault and child abuse for allegedly shooting at his wife while her five children were nearby.
The escape was believed to be the culmination of several days of planning.Blaney, Betsy. "Arrests made in Curry County escape." Associated Press, August 27, 2008. Retrieved on September 21, 2008. About one week before the escape, one or more of the inmates stole a cellular phone that a nurse left on a computer table in the infirmary. Although she canceled the service immediately upon discovering it was missing, the inmates made several calls before it was disconnected, most of which between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on August 18. Lolo Salas, father of inmate Edward Salas, was among those called by the inmates. The phone was used by multiple inmates, including some who did not escape. Authorities would later say they believed the calls were used to coordinate parts of the escape.Johnson, Sharna. Clovis News Journal, October 9, 2008. Retrieved on October 10, 2008.
According to a later investigation, the inmates likely stole a key that was left hanging in the door lock of a plumbing chase while guards were making plumbing repairs, including fixing a clogged toilet.Johnson, Sharna. "Report: Escaped inmates had key." Clovis News Journal, September 23, 2008. Retrieved on September 23, 2008. Inmates Salas, Enriquez and Chavez shared a pod on a second floor balcony, while the other five men occupied a pod on the ground floor underneath them.Blaney, Betsy. Associated Press, August 27, 2008. Retrieved on September 21, 2008. The inmates used the stolen key to unlock a rarely used door between the two pods, and slipped the key under the door of a neighboring pod. Those inmates unlocked their own pod door and the small door of a plumbing chute, a narrow space behind a common wall of the pods that contained plumbing pipes which led to the roof. The key was then returned to the original lock without the knowledge of the guards. Over the course of the 48 hours leading up to the escape, the inmates regularly traveled back and forth between the two pods to socialize and receive tattoos.
On August 24, the eight men slipped one at a time into a small door that led to the plumbing chute with the intention of climbing the pipes to the roof area. At least four inmates who did not escape the jail assisted the eight men in their plan, including Lawrence Kolek, 26; Manuel Lopez, 32; Kevyn Crane, 26; Donald Jones, 27, police allege.Johnson, Sharna. Clovis News Journal, August 27, 2008. Retrieved on September 21, 2008. Surveillance camera footage revealed the four men allegedly taking turns attempting to block Salas, Enriquez and Chavez from the view of the cameras as they entered the chute. At one point, two of them stood next to each other in an attempt to conceal the escaping inmates, with one stretching his arms out in a feigned yawn; in another instance, a man held a large blanket behind his shoulders like a cape. No surveillance cameras monitored the lower pod or the roof.Johnson, Sharna. "Officials: Escape collaborative effort." Clovis News Journal, August 27, 2008. Retrieved on September 21, 2008. The surveillance footage of the upper pod spanned from 5 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. One of the three men was also observed carrying a white bag into the chute.Johnson, Sharna. Clovis News Journal, August 30, 2008. Retrieved on September 21, 2008. At least two inmates not involved in the escape said they heard banging noises, but dismissed it because they believed it was construction work being done elsewhere in the building.
Once the escaping inmates climbed to the top of the pipe, they used handmade instruments to cut a hole near a skylight. It took about seven hours to cut through the jail's roof. Investigators believe the tools were fashioned from scraps of metal they found in the plumbing chase that was left behind from previous repair work. Enriquez later told police he was the one who literally cut the hole. Once they were through, some of the inmates used an evergreen near the building to break their falls as they leapt to street level. Authorities believe most of the men split up early and went different ways because discarded jail jumpsuits were found at various locations throughout Clovis. Police, however, speculated that McClendon and England stayed together due to their prior childhood associations.
Four inmates arrested The jailbreak was first discovered by Stephen Borders, a patrol officer with the Clovis Police Department, who spotted two Hispanic males walking casually on 12th Street, two blocks from the jail, wearing orange pants and white tank top T-shirts. Borders recognized the clothing as normal jail garments and turned a spotlight on the men, who reacted with surprise. As Borders turned to drive in their direction, they disappeared into an alley. Borders called to find out if any inmates were missing, then pursued two inmates. Three minutes later, another officer subdued one of them. Dispatch had not yet responded to Borders' inquiry about missing inmates, so he arrested the suspect, later identified as Victor Apodaca, for failing to identify himself when asked for a name. The other inmate escaped."Incident report on arrest of Victor Apodaca." Clovis News Journal, August 27, 2008. Retrieved on September 21, 2008.
Two more inmates were captured on Monday, August 25 as the result of tips from the public. Enriquez was found and arrested without incident in Lubbock, a Texas city about 100 miles from Clovis. Javier Zapata was captured by federal marshals late around 11:30 p.m. in Cactus, Texas, about 165 miles from Clovis.Blaney, Betsy. "Search on for 5 inmates who escaped from NM jail." Associated Press, August 26, 2008. Retrieved on September 21, 2008. The five inmates remaining at large were considered very dangerous because all had been charged with violent crimes, but authorities did not know whether they had any weapons. Charges related to the escape were also filed against all eight inmates. Police said they were following several tips and leads, and motorists were stopped and questioned at roadblocks on the outskirts of Clovis.
Federal agencies, including the United States Marshals Service, joined the investigation along with state police and the sheriff's department. Officials believed some of the at-large escapees could have been in West Texas and the Lubbock area, and began to focus their searches in and around Clovis, Albuquerque and Amarillo, Texas. Federal marshals started conducting sweeps of areas the escapees were known to frequent, and began looking into families and friends of the inmates. Melody Carter, McClendon's mother, said marshals searched her house and told her they did not know the escapees' state of mind, so might have to use deadly force when they find them. She told reporters, "They did inform me to be ready just in case they might have to bring him in in a body bag."Garate, Jessica. "Inmates, relatives charged in jailbreak." KRQE, August 27, 2008. Retrieved on September 21, 2008. Carter said she was surprised her son would flee from jail because she thought his innocence could be proved at trial, and made a public plea to the press: "I love you and I couldn't stand to lose you. Please turn yourself in."
Information gathered in Curry County led Albuquerque police to find the location of a fourth inmate, Victor Sotelo. Sotelo was arrested without incident August 28 at about 11:45 p.m. in an Ortiz Drive duplex. Investigators traveled to Albuquerque the next day to interview him, then returned him to the Curry County Adult Detention Center along with the three other captured inmates. All four men were placed in 24-hour isolation. Authorities did not disclose whether Sotelo provided any information of value to the investigation. Investigators said they were expanding the scope of their previous searches, and were optimistic of the direction of the search; Curry County Undersheriff Wesley Waller said, "We're four down, four to go. ... The investigation is going well."
Additional arrests