Española Police Department’s new holding facility had its first prisoner escape Monday.
Fernando Espinoza, 24, of Santa Cruz, used a handcuff key to escape from shackles and handcuffs and run from the Calle Adelante facility toward 31-Mile-Road at 5:30 p.m., according to Española Police Sgt. Christian Lopez. Espinoza first convinced Española detention officer Josh Cordova to remove him from a holding cell after pretending to quarrel with cell mate Isaac Hernandez, Española Jail director Ted Garcia said.
Fernando was found at 7:30 p.m. Monday in a vehicle on Fairview Lane just east of Paseo de Oñate. Española Police received a tip describing a vehicle alleged to have picked up Espinoza and blocked the vehicle in when it was seen traveling eastbound, Lopez said.
Apparently, Espinoza’s sister and girlfriend picked Espinoza up on Highway 84/285 just north of State Police District 7 Headquarters after he called them, Lopez said. The women, whose names police did not release, were not charged or arrested because it is believed they did not know they were aiding an escape, Lopez said.
“They thought he was hitchhiking; they were just driving him home,” Lopez said.
Espinoza told police he had a handcuff key, which explained how he got out of the shackles at the jail and why he was no longer wearing the handcuffs he left the facility in, Garcia said. Charges of escape from jail, tampering with evidence and larceny for stealing the handcuffs were added to his original charges, Lopez said, and State Police promptly transported him to Rio Arriba County Jail, where he is being held on no bond pending arraignment.
Espinoza had originally been arrested Monday afternoon for stealing $43.76 worth of clothes, DVDs, and batteries from Wal-Mart, Española Police Sgt. Richard Gallegos said. He was noticed leaving the store with a Wal-Mart garment tag hanging out the bottom of his coat, Gallegos said.
A burglary charge was added to larceny because Espinoza had been given a lawful order not to return to the store after past shoplifting incidents (most recently Sept. 10), Gallegos said.
Espinoza had escaped from a new holding cell that Española Police opened last month while renovations are taking place at their facility. Inmates are only supposed to be held there temporarily until they are transported to a real jail.
Garcia said the circumstances of the escape are still being reviewed for possible disciplinary action against Cordova and the other detention officer on duty at the time, David Aviedo. When Espinoza began kicking the holding cell door and asked to be separated from Hernandez, claiming they were fighting, officers should have been suspicious he was trying to orchestrate an escape, Garcia said.
“They should have been a little bit more alert,” Garcia said. “When they brought him in he was pretty upset and irate because he just got out of jail (Nov. 2). People that just got out obviously don’t want to be there so they’re going to make an attempt to escape.”
Garcia said the officers also should have searched Espinoza more thoroughly, as it is believed he had the handcuff key with him when he was brought in to the facility. A swipecard door entry system is on order for the facility and will increase security, Garcia said.
Espinoza’s family, reached by phone at their home in Santa Cruz for comment, claimed officers beat Espinoza at an unspecified time yesterday, and told a SUN reporter to “rot in hell.”