Descanso

Three jail escapees from the Descanso honor camp were caught late Tuesday in a nearby canyon about five hours after they used a wooden plank to climb over a wired fence, the Sherriff’s Department reported.

Department canine units and U.S. Border Patrol trackers assisted by a Sheriff’s Department helicopter found the three men about 11:30 p.m. They were hiding in heavy brush about four miles west of the camp, in Sweetwater River Gorge, Sgt. Rich Hendrickson said.

The men taken into custody and returned to the minimum-security facility were identified as Luis Estrada, 21; Antonio Campos, 22, and David Armas, 26. All three men, who were described as transients, were in custody for burglary and other non-violent crimes, Hendrickson said.

The three apparently removed an 18-foot wooden plank from a retaining wall in the compound, leaned it on the 12-foot-high fence, which has razor wire on top, and climbed over, Hendrickson said. “You can’t monitor the whole facility at all times,” he said, explaining why deputies failed to detect the escape attempt.