Two Inmates Who Escaped Santa Clara County Jail Back In Custody

SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Two inmates who escaped a Santa Clara County jail last week are back in custody, sheriff's deputies said.

Leron Campbell, 26, and Rogelio Chavez, 33, both escaped from the Main Jail South facility near West Hedding and North San Pedro streets around 11 p.m. Nov. 23 by cutting through bars to a second-floor window.

The two inmates lowered themselves to the ground with bed sheets and clothes. Two other inmates escaped with Chavez and Campbell, but were quickly apprehended.

Chavez, of San Jose, was detained Wednesday evening, deputies said.

A law enforcement source told KPIX 5 that Chavez was caught Wednesday night with narcotics in his underwear and pant leg.

Investigators didn't find cutting instruments in the cell or nearby, but found surveillance footage showing the pair outside the perimeter established by deputies, Glennon said.

Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith held a press conference Wednesday night outside the jail and directly under the window where the inmates escaped.

Chavez was found with crack cocaine and marijuana and was taken to the hospital as he was believed to be on drugs at the time of his capture. A handgun was also found.

Police also arrested Karla Fernandez Wednesday night in connection with the escape. Smith says others may be arrested for helping the escaped inmates.

The two captured inmates will put in a maximum security area of the jail, Smith said.

Campbell, of Palo Alto, was taken into custody Tuesday evening after falling through the ceiling of his sister's home.

He was initially booked into jail on Aug. 17 for burglary, extortion, false imprisonment, resisting arrest and firearms violations, Glennon said.

Campbell was recaptured around 10 p.m. on Tuesday when deputies searched the home of his sister,Marcaysha Alexander, 24, who was arrested on suspicion of harboring a fugitive, Santa Clara County Undersheriff Carl Neusel said at a news conference Wednesday morning.

On Monday, detectives were tipped off that Campbell was in Antioch and determined he was staying with his sister in the 1000 block of James Donlon Avenue, Neusel said.

Detectives notified the U.S. Marshals Service, which conducted surveillance of the residence for several hours and verified Campbell was there, according to Neusel.

They served a warrant with Antioch police at the home, where Campbell was hiding in the attic and fell down from the ceiling to the ground, where he was taken into custody without further incident, according
to Neusel.

Campbell was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose without bail and Alexander was taken to the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas, where she remains in lieu of $250,000 bail, according to online
jail records.

Sheriff's deputies are investigating the escape and believe there were no significant policy violations based on their review of multiple documents, Neusel said.

The cutting tools used in the escape haven't been found.

As a result of an investigation in Gilroy, Emily Vaca, 35, of San Jose, was arrested for allegedly driving Chavez around the county, Glennon said.

Vaca was arraigned Wednesday afternoon at the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill on a felony charge of being an accessory to a felony and two allegations related to prior prison time, Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Janet Berry said.

If convicted, the defendant faces five years in jail, according to Berry.

Vaca's bail was set at $70,000 and she is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 9 for a plea hearing, Berry said.