Idaho prison escapees found in Walla Walla

Officials in Idaho County say two men who escaped from the North Idaho Correctional Institution over the weekend are back in custody. The sheriff’s office says Caleb Joe Thomas and Ridge Scott Dains were captured Monday morning near Walla Walla, Wash., while driving a stolen vehicle. The men were reported missing from the prison in Cottonwood early Saturday. On Sunday, the sheriff’s office received a report that a vehicle, firearms and ammunition had been stolen from a residence west of Grangeville. Clothing found at the scene matched that worn by the inmates. The description of the vehicle was entered into a national database, and officers in Walla Walla County spotted the vehicle Monday morning. Thomas’ criminal record includes first-degree arson and grand theft, while Dains’ record includes a burglary conviction. Dains and Thomas will be returned to Idaho County, where they face escape charges, Sheriff Doug Giddings said.