An inmate broke out of a Sonoma County jail over the weekend only to return a day later, authorities said.
Jesse Eagle Wilmes, 37, allegedly squeezed through a gate as it was closing at the North County Detention Facility in Santa Rosa at 2:23 p.m. Saturday, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.
An alarm was sounded. Deputies identified the missing inmate as Wilmes, and they began a search.
Deputies on patrol canvassed the area around the jail with a K-9 unit, and detectives from other jurisdictions around the county also joined in the effort to find the escapee. The search ended without capture.
The next day, Wilmes returned to the facility and surrendered, putting himself back into custody, authorities said.
It is unknown what Wilmes did while he was out of custody, or why he returned on his own, police said. It is also unclear if Wilmes had acted alone, authorities said, or if he was aided by an accomplice.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Wilmes had been in jail since March 5 after being convicted of felony grand theft of a motor vehicle. He originally had been charged with receiving stolen property, possessing narcotics and violating probation.
Wilmes was sentenced to 20 months in jail on March 21. He is now charged with escaping a correctional facility. If convicted, his sentence could be extended to include one year in state prison.
Six days before Wilmes' escape, another inmate, Zephyr Malik Carter, 41, ran away from a work crew at the Sonoma County Jail in Santa Rosa. He is still at large.
Copyright 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
