California authorities catch 4 of 5 jail escapees

TERRY COLLINS
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Four of five inmates were caught Saturday night, a day after their escape from a central California jail, authorities said. The fifth man remained at large.

A pair of special sheriff’s units caught the four men about 24 hours after they broke out of the Madera County lockup, sheriff’s spokeswoman Erica Stuart said. No further details on where or how they were caught were immediately available.

Juan Lopez, 33, Jorge Lopez-Diaz, 26, Abel Ramos, 25, Ricardo Cendejas, 19, all of Madera, were back in custody, Stuart said.

Authorities around the state were still looking for Roel Soliz, 29, of Chowchilla.

The men were being held in custody on various charges including attempted murder and armed robbery, Stuart said. It’s unclear how they escaped, but they were gone for about an hour before they were discovered missing, she added.

“We don’t know how they got away, all we know is that they took off on foot,” Stuart said.

The jail is operated by the Madera County Department of Corrections, Stuart said.

The Madera County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit and Madera Special Investigations Unit made the capture, she said.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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