FARMVILLE, Va. — Update: Alder Alfonso Marin Sotelo was taken into custody by Mexican authorities on May 4, 2023, after 13:00 EST, in the state of Guerrero. The investigation to determine his exact movements since he escaped from the Piedmont Regional Jail on April 30, 2023, is ongoing.
After two inmates escaped from a Virginia jail, documents show that the jail had issues with its locking system.
Raleigh CBS affiliate, WNCN, reported Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo, 26, escaped from the Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, Virginia, early Sunday morning.
They confirmed another inmate escaped later that evening.
WNCN also confirmed that Superintendent of the Piedmont Regional Jail Terry Townsend told them that 26-year-old Alder Marin-Sotelo and another inmate “manipulated the locking mechanism on the rear exit door” to escape.
According to minutes from the Piedmont Regional Jail Authority Board, there have been issues with locks failing inside the jail.
In December 2022, the minutes detailed that the facility needs to replace locks in four "pods" and replace eight cell doors.
In January 2023, the board wrote, "The current locks are failing."
The board mentioned plans to replace the locks in February and that Townsend was negotiating "with Willo Products Company to purchase locks for M pod,” but in March the board said the replacements for the locks had yet to be completed.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Marin-Sotelo is accused of killing Wake County Sheriff’s Deputy Ned Byrd in August 2022 and allegedly received help from his sister to escape from jail.
Marin-Sotelo is still at large. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
Since posting this story, the reward has increased by $20,000.
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