Two Virginia inmates have been recaptured after they used a sharpened toothbrush to tunnel their way out of their jail cell, then stopped at an IHOP for breakfast.
Arley Nemo, 43, and John Garza, 37, were found to be missing from their cell at the Newport News Jail Annex during a routine head count Monday evening, according to the Newport News Sheriff's Office.
Guards found that the men "[exploited] a construction design weakness" and used a toothbrush to dig through their cell wall until they reached untied rebars. After that, they used the rebar to dig the rest of the way out. Once outside, the pair scaled the containment wall and fled the area, officials said.
Authorities shared Nemo and Garza's mugshots on social media, alerted the public to the escape and urged them to be on the lookout for two men wearing white thermal sweatsuits.
In the meantime, the harrowing escape apparently caused the duo to work up an appetite. Instead of running as far as they could, they stopped to eat at a local IHOP about eight miles away -- despite looking like they'd just escaped from jail.
Customers called police, and both men were still sitting in their booth when deputies arrived.
"I'm thankful for the citizens who observed Garza and Nemo at the IHOP and notified law enforcement," Sheriff Gabe Morgan said in a statement. "It reinforces what we always say 'see something, say something.'"
A criminal investigation and an internal investigation are ongoing as the sheriff's office works to prevent an escape from happening again.
"Engineers are reviewing and formulating ways to mitigate the aforementioned facility weakness," the sheriff's office said. "Due to the fact that this weakness presents itself throughout the facility, and until all weaknesses are identified and secured, we will not discuss the situation further for security reasons."
Garza had been in custody since December 19 on several charges including contempt of court, probation violations, and failure to appear.
Nemo had been in custody since October 7 on numerous charges including credit card fraud, credit card larceny, forgery, possession of burglary tools, grand larceny, contempt of court, and probation violation.
Charges related to the escape are pending.
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