Sheriff: Six Inmates Escape from California Jail Using Makeshift Rope

Authorities in California are searching for six inmates who escaped from the Merced County Jail Saturday using a homemade rope.

The inmates reportedly accessed a roof and “used that makeshift rope out of braided sheets and were able to come down of the side of that building,” Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke told ABC 30.

The sheriff believes the incident happened around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, but officers did not notice the inmates were gone until the morning headcount about eight hours later.

According to Warnke, some protocols prohibit officers from interrupting the inmates’ sleep.

“We do have officers walking up and down the cell blocks, but we are no longer allowed to wake them up because they deemed it necessary for them to have a whole night’s sleep,” he explained.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the sheriff’s office said it formed a task force to find and apprehend the fugitives and asked anyone with information to come forward. The sheriff’s office cautioned  citizens not to approach the fugitives, but to call 911.

“The Merced County Sheriff’s Office will update with additional information as it becomes available,” the post continued:

Warnke said the dated jail facilities might have made it easier for the men to escape, adding that they are currently working to construct another facility in the county.

“He adds they’ve been facing staffing shortages since 2009 – due to state and county budget cuts. Warnke says they’re now trying to determine if any protocols were violated during the jail break,” the ABC 30 report stated.

In a message to citizens last month, the sheriff’s office said it would not enforce the state’s coronavirus “stay at home” order and would continue to “do business as usual.”

“The Sheriff’s Office will continue to go after the criminals that are committing actual crimes. We will not be going after anyone gathering during the holidays,” its website read.