JOSEPH CRUZ AND LIONEL CLAH ARE NOW IN THE MAXIMUM SECURITY UNIT AT THE STATE PEN. STATE POLICE ON MONDAY RELEASED MORE INFORMATION ON HOW THE PAIR ESCAPED FROM A PRISONER TRANSPORT VAN IN ARTESIA AND MADE THEIR WAY TO ALBUQUERQUE, WHERE THEY WERE ARRESTED.
CHIEF PETE KASSETAS SAYS THE TWO LEFT THE VAN BY ITS BACK DOOR. AS FOR HOW THEY UNDID THE SHACKLES THEY WERE IN, HE SAYS THEY PICKED THE LOCKS WITH A WIRE. HE SAYS THAT’S ACTUALLY BEEN DONE IN THE PAST. AS FOR HOW THEY ESCAPED FROM THE LOCKED VAN, HE KNOW THEY GOT OUT VIA THE BACK DOOR, BUT HOW THE DOOR WAS UNLOCKED IS STILL UNKNOWN.
KASSETAS SAYS SOMEONE GAVE THEM A RIDE FROM ARTESIA TO ALBUQUERQUE … AND HE SAYS THEY HAVE AN IDEA AS TO WHO THAT PERSON IS BUT ARE NOT RELEASING AN IDENTITY YET. HE SAYS THEY STILL NEED DO MORE CHECKING.
CRUZ WAS ARRESTED NEAR UNM LAST FRIDAY … AND CLAH AT AN APARTMENT COMPLEX NEAR MORRIS AND MONTGOMERY ON SATURDAY.
