Four escape jail; one recaptured

SUNNYSIDE, Wash. – One of four federal inmates who escaped from the town jail, using metal torn from a mop bucket to carve a hole in the ceiling, was captured Friday, police said.

Rolando Cortez-Orozco, 34, was arrested at a Yakima home by Yakima police and U.S. marshals. He was not armed and was arrested without a struggle, said Sunnyside police Sgt. Jeff Cunningham. The home was occupied by someone who knew the inmate, Cunningham said. It was not clear if anyone else was at the house at the time of the arrest.

Police think the other three escapees have left the area, Cunningham said.

The inmates were considered dangerous, and authorities offered a $5,000 reward for the capture of each. Their criminal records included kidnapping, theft and other property crimes, said Deputy U.S. Marshal Steve Thompson in Yakima.

The prisoners, held under a contract with the U.S. Marshals Service, cut through an inch of reinforced concrete to reach some ducts and gain access to the roof, possibly fleeing in a waiting car shortly before daybreak Thursday, Deputy Police Chief Phil Schenck said.