A fugitive from the Lake County Jail and his girlfriend were captured late Tuesday evening in San Antonio, Texas, after an attempt to flee, authorities said.
Richard N. Campos, 22, and his girlfriend Elysia Jeronimo, 19, have been captured, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department is seeking to extradite them, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.
Escape charges were filed against the couple Tuesday, while three Lake County Jail corrections officers have been suspended in the investigation.
Campos, one of six inmate trustees who was transported about 7:30 a.m. Saturday to the county laundry building across 93rd Avenue from the jail, and Jeronimo, of Hammond, were charged in Lake Superior Court. Authorities said Jeronimo helped Campos escape.
Meanwhile, three officers have been placed on paid administrative leave following the escape. Sheriff’s Department spokesman Mark Back said Tuesday the officers will go before the Sheriff’s Merit Board and could face termination.
Initial findings by the department indicated human error was the reason Campos was able to walk off his detail April 30, but Back said the investigation found the officers “failed to perform their duties.” More information on how that occurred will be forthcoming, Back said.
On Thursday, Campos visited in person with a woman who identified herself as Jeronimo, the probable cause affidavit states. Their conversation was recorded. On Friday, Campos made three calls to a woman, at 2:42 p.m., 4:39 p.m. and 8:53 p.m. to a woman who identified herself as Jeronimo. The voices in the recorded visit and the calls sounded the same, records state. In the calls, Campos asked for help and if Jeronimo would be there for him, the probable cause affidavit states.
In one of the phone calls, Campos told the woman he would be leaving the jail to go across the street to the laundry facility and then described the area to her and instructed her where she should park. Campos also said in one of the calls that Jeronimo needed to be there between 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., records state. Both Jeronimo and Campos showed up at Jeronimo’s stepfather’s residence about 7 p.m. Sunday. “I (expletive) up bad, take care of the kids,” Jeronimo told her mother and stepfather, records state. A short time later, Campos and Jeronimo left .
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The charge is a Level 5 felony, which is punishable by one to six years.
Campos had been held in the jail since April 25 on a bench warrant through Hammond City Court on a misdemeanor charge, records show.
Campos is a known member of the Latin Kings gang and has outstanding warrants from Gary, Hammond and Whiting, among other law enforcement encounters. Authorties are planning a Wednesday press conference to discuss the investigation.
Ruth Ann Krause and Michelle L. Quinn are freelance reporters for the Post-Tribune.