CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) A Clovis judge is accepting responsibility for the escape of a jail inmate from the judge's courtroom. Municipal Court Judge Jan Garrett says Ruben Hernandez should have been in restraints when in court for a traffic charge.
The Clovis News Journal reports that Hernandez escaped from court Tuesday. Police apprehended him in a Clovis residence early Wednesday morning. Garrett says her court bailiff should have put Hernandez in handcuffs and shackles before transporting him from the county jail where he's being held on robbery and other charges. According to Garrett, Hernandez was in a wheelchair when jail personnel turned him over to the bailiff.
She says the bailiff was told that Hernandez couldn't walk due to a medical condition.
