A major search in Washington state is underway for six inmates who are still at large after breaking out of Yakima County Jail.
Eight other prisoners who also escaped at the same time have since been captured and returned to jail by the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office.
All 14 inmates managed to escape Annex C in the Yakima County Jail by using a table to break open an exterior fire door and fleeing at around 7:10 p.m. on Monday, March 23.
The offenders still on the loose have been identified as Tyrone Adam Mulvaney, 34, from Moses Lake; Andrew Derrick Wolfley, 26, from Union Gap; Neftali Serrano, 27, from Yakima; Fernando Gustavo Casteneda-Sandoval, 31, from Yakima; Hugo Alejandro Amezcua-Hernandez, also from Yakima; and 27-year-old Miguel Angel Chavez-Amezcua from Moses Lake.
The Yakima County Sheriff’s Office said it is possible the suspects have returned to their hometowns following the escape and asked people to be on the lookout.
“Despite the governor’s shelter in place, or the stay at home warning, probably they didn’t want to do that so they are out and about,” a spokesperson for the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office said in a recorded statement posted on Facebook.
“And we need your help to get these guys back in custody. Because we don’t know what they’re going to be doing when we haven’t got eyes on them…Help us get these back in the Yakima County Jail, where they’ll be safe.”
According to the Yakima Police Department, a majority of the escaped inmates were last seen wearing a green shirt and dark green pants. They could be barefoot or wearing orange sandals.
Mulvaney, one of the at large suspects, has a distinct marijuana leaf tattoo on the side of his face.
Local residents have been asked not to approach the suspects if they see them.
“ALERT! Several prisoners have escaped from the Yakima County Jail in Downtown Yakima. Residents in the northeast and southeast areas of Yakima should call 9-1-1 to report any suspicious activity. Those residents should also stay indoors,” the City of Yakima wrote on Facebook.
The names of the six captured inmates have not been released by authorities.
If anyone has information on the whereabouts of the six remaining escapees, they are asked to call the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office at (509) 574-2500 and press 0 or 911.
*story by NewsWeek