By Susan Dunlap
Silver City Sun-News
SILVER CITY — Two men escaped from the Grant County Detention Center sometime between 9 and 10 p.m. Thursday, according to a news release from Grant County Attorney and former Interim Manager Abby Robinson. The two men, Adam Martinez and Tyler Cole, are believed to be members of a gang and considered dangerous.
The jail was on lock-down as of Friday afternoon. The person who answered the phone at the detention center Sunday would not comment whether the jail is still in lock-down as of press time Sunday. The U.S. Marshall’s Office, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police and other local law enforcement agencies are searching for the men.
Detention Center officers discovered Martinez and Cole missing from the M3 Pod of the male unit at approximately 10 p.m. Thursday, according to the report. The M3 cell holds nine inmates. Jail officials believe the two inmates removed a metal panel in the ceiling after the inmate count at approximately 9 p.m. Officials believe Martinez and Cole used a sheet to climb up into the ceiling, and following the pipe channel in the roof, exited the facility through a maintenance door, according to the report.
Detention officers questioned the other inmates in the cell, the report states. Most indicated they didn’t see anything, but some described Martinez and Cole escaping through the ceiling panel, according to the report.
Officers began a search of the perimeter of the facility with a canine, and Border Patrol agents found the inmates’ discarded clothing a short distance from the facility.
This isn’t the first time the Grant County Detention Center has faced problems in recent months.
An incident on July 28 led to a showdown between Grant County Detention officers and inmates in pod M-2. Tensions arose during that incident and inmates in all the pods in the male section of the detention center began behaving aggressively, kicking at the pod door, throwing flip-flops at the pod windows and banging on the pod windows. While detention officers were able to calm down the men in the other pods, the inmates in M-2 continued to act out, threatening a standoff with officers. Officers pepper sprayed the eight inmates in the M-2 cell to gain their compliance while Grant County Sheriff’s deputies, Silver City Police officers, Bayard Police officers, New Mexico State Police, Gila Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Medical Services and the Silver City Fire Department all assisted outside the detention center.
About 12 hours before the inmates escaped Thursday night, Grant County Commissioners adjourned their regular meeting that morning at the Grant County Administration Center and travelled in separate cars to the Grant County Detention Center for an annual tour of the jail. Members of the local media, along with various Grant County officials, including the new Grant County Manager Charlene Webb, also participated in the tour. Webb started her job Sept. 8.
During the tour, officials from the detention center pointed out various security measures, including how detention center employees keep watch over the inmates. A high-tech central command center is in the center of the facility. The detention center was seven years in the making and, still relatively new, opened in 2012. It currently houses approximately 72 inmates, including both male and female populations. The detention center has the capacity to house 99.
During Thursday’s tour, Grant County Detention Center Administrator Mike Carrillo mentioned the inspections and assessments the jail receives, including from the state of New Mexico, the Association of Counties and Luna County.
“We want to get as many recommendations and try to apply them as well as we can,” Carillo said during Thursday’s tour.
Carillo also mentioned a plan for a tactical assessment coming up for the jail in October.
Robinson advised on Friday that Grant County officials have no comment to make at this time regarding the two inmates’ escape.
Martinez is described as an Hispanic male, weighing 230 pounds. He is 6-feet tall, has brown eyes, and brown hair. He may have a bald, shaved head. Martinez has numerous tattoos on his upper chest and arms and a pitchfork tattoo on the right cheek of his face. Martinez was arrested by Silver City Police on Aug. 14 on a warrant for resisting, evading or obstructing and officer, and criminal trespass. He was charged for numerous felonies and misdemeanors.
Cole is described as a white male, weighing 132 pounds. He is 5-feet-2-inches tall, has brown eyes, and short brown hair. Cole has multiple tattoos, including a star under his right eye, a “fear none” tattoo on his abdomen, a star on his right arm, a skull on his upper right arm, and a collage on his chest and left arm. Cole was arrested by Silver City Police on May 5 on a warrant for failure to appear and was charged for possession of a controlled substance, resisting and evading, and for bringing contraband into a place of confinement. At the time of his escape, Cole’s sentence had been suspended and he was scheduled to be transported to the Men in Recovery rehabilitation program.
Both inmates are believed to be associated with the gang commonly known as the East Side Folk. Law enforcement agencies said anyone who encounters either of these men should notify authorities immediately. Call the Grant County Sheriff’s Office at 575-388-8840, Grant County Crime Stoppers at 575-538-5254 or 911. Warrants will be issued for both inmates for the escape, as well as other state charges.