Malfunctioning locks, staff shortages noted at Virginia jail months before inmates escaped
FARMVILLE, Va. (WTVD) -- Documents uncovered by the ABC11 I-Team show that the jail in Virginia where Alder Marin-Sotelo escaped had recent concerns about malfunctioning locks.
In addition to trouble with the locks, the jail was also coping with a months-long staffing shortage. As of March 15, the jail reported being down 27 security officers.
Meetings of the Piedmont Regional Jail Authority Board that took place in October, December and January all included discussions about locks not working for some doors at the jail.
"This continues to be an area of great concern to the security of the facility," one report read.
The jail even launched a pilot project to install new locks and was looking into replacing locks on eight different jail cells.
Early in the morning of April 30, Marin-Sotelo was able to jimmy his way past a lock on a door, climb a fence and then hop into a Mustang that had been left in the jail parking lot for him to use in his escape.
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Marin-Sotelo's sister is in custody for helping him execute his escape.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now offering a $50,000 reward for information that helps agents track him down.
'Dire need of detention officers'
Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone knows all too well the grim circumstances surrounding a jailbreak.
He had one in 2019 when inmates walked up under the wire and got out.
Stone told ABC11 that he is short more than 10 officers and said every sheriff across the state is having issues finding detention officers
"We're in dire need of detention officers. Every sheriff I speak to is very short," Stone said. "You've got to have professional people working in these detention facilities that are honorable, have integrity about themselves and the work ethic to manage the inmate."
About the Marin-Sotelo case, Stone said there are good reasons law enforcement officers are working so intently to find him.
"This is the case where a man was gone 25 hours," Stone said. "He is a cop killer. He needs to be caught, he needs to be caught immediately."
He said the possibility of inmates breaking out is always real and present.
"It's not an impossibility," Stone said. "After I walked into our county jail in Nash County a few years back, and I look at 40 inmates and then there's a sign that says exit in the back of the building and the inmates have access to that lock.
"What's really scary, some law enforcement officer has to take him back into custody. He's got a family and he might not go home," Stone added. "A man on the run that is a cop killer is a dangerous person and there's no telling where he might wind up in."
Crime Data | ABC11 Neighborhood Safety and Crime Tracker
Crime Data | ABC11 Neighborhood Safety and Crime Tracker
