Authorities are searching for two inmates who walked away from a work detail near the Rockdale County Jail on Saturday.
Jose Alfredo Mendez and Cesar Villegas walked away from a work detail into a wooded area behind the Rockdale County Jail. Their inmate jumpsuits were located just inside the wood line a short time later, police said.
Deputies set up a perimeter in the area and a Georgia State Patrol helicopter was called in to try and help locate the inmates. K9 units from the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office and Newton County Sheriff’s Office tracked the inmates through the woods. The K9 units lost the inmates' scent near Lake Rockaway Road. Authorities believe the inmates had outside help and that someone picked them up in a vehicle in that area.
Both men were in the Rockdale County jail for non-violent charges, but are now facing escape and other possible charges, police said.
Mendez, 18, is Hispanic, 5′8″ and 175 lbs. He had been jailed on charges of driving without a valid license, and burglary.
Villegas, 24, is Hispanic, 5′4″ and 160 lbs. He had also been jailed on charges of driving without a valid license.
The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information on these escapees to call at 770-278-8000.
contact the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office at 770-278-8000.contact the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office at 770-278-8000.
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