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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Third inmate in a year escapes from tent-jail in Canyon County

For the third time in a year, an inmate has escaped from a tent facility housing an overflow of inmates at the Canyon County Jail, the Idaho Statesman reports. Abel Enrique Garcia, 21, reportedly escaped from the minimum-security facility Sunday evening but was recaptured Monday afternoon, the Canyon County Sheriff's Office reports; he climbed over the exterior fence about 8 p.m. during his outdoor recreation period, then a climbed into a waiting vehicle and fled. He was facing numerous charges including burglary.

Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donohue reacted angrily to the incident. “This is the third escape we’ve had from our tent facility in the last year and it’s simply ridiculous,” he said. “This tent structure was never meant to house prisoners 24 hours a day, so it’s not surprising. It’s time our county looks for long term solutions to address our jail issues once and for all.”

The Statesman’s full report is online here.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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