Three of six inmates who made a rope out of sheets to escape from 'antiquated' California jail two days ago, are recaptured as manhunt for the other fugitives continues

Three of six inmates who used a homemade rope to escape from a jail in central California were apprehended on Tuesday after two days on the lam, while the other three remained at large, among them suspected murderers. 

Edgar Eduardo Ventura, 22, of Portland, Oregon, was captured in the Firebaugh area, about 40 miles west of Fresno, shortly after 3pm, on the Merced County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. 

Five hours later, two more of the five escapees, 22-year-old Fabian Cruz Roman and 21-year-old Andres Nunez Rodriguez, were apprehended in the San Diego area. They were being sent back to jail in Merced County. 

A manhunt continued on Wednesday for the three remaining fugitives, 20-year-old Jorge Barron; Manuel Allen Leon, 21, and Gabriel Francis Coronado, 19.   

Fugitive Edgar Eduardo Ventura, 22, was recaptured in Merced County, California, on Tuesday afternoon, two days after he escaped from the county jail with five other inmates 

Fabian Cruz Roman, 22 , and Andres Nunez Rodriguez Jr, 21 , were apprehended in the San Diego area at 8.30pm on Tuesday

Staff members at the Merced County Jail didn't know the inmates were missing for eight hours

Ventura was in jail on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, participation in a criminal streetgang and a probation violation.

Roman has been charged with murder, while Rodriguez was jailed for attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, participation in a criminal street gang and felon in possession of a firearm. 

The inmates were last seen on video at around 11:30pm Saturday night and authorities believe they escaped shortly thereafter. But staff at the Merced County Jail didn't notice they were missing until after 8am on Sunday. 

The inmates were being housed in a gang housing unit that held nine people.

'A preliminary investigation has determined that the inmates were able to gain access to the roof of the facility and utilize a homemade rope to scale down the side of the jail,' the post said.

Once the inmates made it to the roof, they used braided sheets to lower themselves around 20 feet down the side of the building.

That landed them in an alleyway right next to the Sheriff's Office facility.  

Guards did not notice the half-dozen inmates were gone until the morning headcount eight hours after the jailbreak because of protocols that prohibit interrupting an inmate's sleep. 

'That’s not acceptable on anybody’s watch,' Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said. 'If we’ve got folks that need to be held accountable we will be holding them accountable; I will not let this ride.' 

Wanted: Escapees Gabriel Francis Coronado and Manuel Allen Leon remained at large as of Wednesday morning 

Jorge Barron, who has been charged with a probation violation, also remained on the lam

All but one of the suspects have been charged with violent felonies, including murder. They should be considered armed and dangerous, officials said, and anyone who spots them is asked not to approach them and immediately call 911.

Authorities have set up a tip line with the US. Marshals Service and is offering a $5,000 reward for each fugitive.

Coronado has been charged with attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, participation in a criminal street gang, felon in possession of a firearm,  and violation of probation. 

Leon is charged with assault with a firearm, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, reckless driving to evade an officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm and a probation violation.

Barron has been charged with a probation violation.

This is not the first time the downtown medium-security jail has faced an issue with inmates escaping, according to the sheriff.

The escaped inmates were being housed in a gang housing unit that held nine people

Once the inmates escaped to the roof, they used braided sheets to pull themselves down the outside wall and into an alleyway next to the Sheriff's Office, where they then took off

The sheriff noted staffing problems for the past 11 years may have helped lead to escape

'There’s protocols in place for a lot of things but you also have to remember that this jail is very antiquated and we’re continually fixing and repairing different things,' Warnke stated. 'This jail was not meant to house the type of inmate that we have now.'

An administrative review of the protocols in place to prevent this kind of incident will now be conducted.

Warnke also pointed to staffing issues as a potential cause for Saturday night's breakout.

'Our staffing levels have never been up to par since 2009 in our correctional facilities when the state cut money and the county also had to cut money,' Warnke said.

'So we’ve been having staffing issues for a very long time and this is no different than anything else.'