Jailed SF Inmate Escapes, Recaptured, Pleads Not Guilty To Escape

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- An inmate who broke free from San Francisco County Jail and eluded capture for more than a week was taken back into custody Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to escaping on Friday, a district attorney's spokesman said.

Inmate Timothy Midgett, 40, of San Francisco, escaped while taking out the trash at the Hall of Justice as part of his daily duties around 5 a.m. on June 7. He ran away from the basement through an open door at the building located at 850 Bryant St.

Midgett was found around 8 p.m. Tuesday at the St. Vincent de Paul Society's homeless shelter at 525 Fifth St., according to senior sheriff's Deputy Enrique Luquin.

A caller reported to deputies that someone who matched the description of Midgett, whose image had been posted on flyers around city shelters, was staying at the shelter, according to Luquin.

A sheriff's sergeant and two sheriff's deputies arrived and took Midgett to the San Francisco County Jail where he was booked on a no bail warrant for felony escape, Luquin said.

Midgett remains in custody, according to Alex Bastian for District Attorney George Gascon.

Midgett will have to complete his original sentence from when he was booked on July 25, 2013 for felony drug possession. He was due to be released on that charge July 24.

He is still wanted on a narcotics warrant out of Houston, according to Luquin.

Midgett was arraigned Friday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to escape, Bastian said.

As part of the escape investigation, the sheriff's office issued a warrant for a former San Francisco County Jail inmate who was believed to have assisted Midgett's escape.

Palo Alto police arrested the former inmate Tuesday on suspicion of accessory and conspiracy, but officials have not released the former inmate's name.

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