Officials: Escape collaborative effort

Sunday’s escape from the Curry County jail took about seven hours to complete, was a collaborative effort between inmates in two pods and required access to a door that’s supposed to be locked.

Law officers provided the details on Wednesday afternoon and also released surveillance video that appears to show four inmates attempting to shield three inmates who disappear into an opening behind them.

Officials earlier this week said all eight of the inmates who escaped from the jail on Sunday night came from the same jail pod. But on Wednesday afternoon they said three escapees were from one pod and five were from an adjacent pod.

State Police Capt. Jimmy Glascock said the inmates climbed pipes inside a common wall shared by the pods.

Raynaldo Jeremy Enriquez, an inmate captured Monday night in Lubbock, took credit for creating a hole in the roof through which the inmates escaped, Curry County Sheriff Matt Murray said.

In surveillance footage furnished to media by District Attorney Matt Chandler, three inmates from Pod 2 can be seen on an upper balcony entering a small door to the plumbing chute.

As the three — Edward Salas, Enriquez and Louis Chavez — slip one at a time into the opening, four other inmates took turns attempting to block view of their exit. Two stood together with one stretching his arms out in a feigned yawn, another holding a large blanket behind him like a cape.

Five other inmates — Victor Sotelo, Michael England, Larry McClendon Jr., Javier Zapata and Victor Apodaca — escaped from Pod 1.

The video footage of the escape activity came from Pod 2. Officials said no video was available in the adjacent pod or from the roof.

The doors to the plumbing chute are supposed to be secured but were not at the time of the escape, Glascock said. Officials are still investigating how inmates gained access to the plumbing chute.

Officials also believe inmates were able to communicate between the two pods and make escape plans over two or three days.

County Manager Lance Pyle said there are 24 cameras at the facility, three of which are outside, and he’s known since early this year that video surveillance at the jail is not adequate.

He said footage is only stored for a few days, visibility is poor, blind spots exist and there is need for additional cameras.

He said he began to procure a new system for both the adult and juvenile detention centers immediately after he became aware of the problem.

“This is a big expenditure to the county but it’s an expenditure that’s been needed and it’s been needed for a while,” he said on Wednesday.

The matter was taken to the county’s jail committee, which researched and began the process of obtaining bids.

County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a bid for a $166,000 system that would bring the number of inside cameras up to 76, with 13 more on the outside, Pyle said.

With changes to the system at the juvenile detention center the total cost will be about $240,000, he said.

Pyle said he hopes to have a contract for commissioners to consider by Sept. 16.

“As soon as it was brought to our attention, we got on it right away,” said County Commissioner Robert Sandoval, who is also a member of the county’s jail committee. “It’s just a time-consuming project. It’s not just call the camera store and order some cameras.”

It takes time to make sure the surveillance system is designed well and meets needs present and future, he said.

Sandoval also offered praise in support of Pyle, who’s been the county manager about 10 months.

“I’m very, very proud of the job that Lance has done,” Sandoval said. “He inherited a lot of problems and he’s worked very hard to correct them.”