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Carjacking suspect escapes from a San Bernardino County jail





08:56 PM PDT on Tuesday, August 18, 2009

By PAUL LAROCCO


A suspect in a series of knifepoint carjackings escaped from a San Bernardino County jail early Tuesday by scaling the roof and apparently leaping off the prison grounds, officials said.

Joel Maldonado was reported missing from his assigned housing area at the sheriff's Adelanto Detention Center shortly after midnight.

An extensive search of the jail and the surrounding area, aided by a helicopter, failed to locate the 25-year-old inmate, who remains at large, said sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers.

"Obviously this is a real security issue," Beavers said.

She declined to release details about how Maldonado gained access to the jail's roof.

It is the first escape from the 700-bed jail, which opened under the sheriff's jurisdiction in January 2006 and contains mostly dormitory-style housing.

The one-time private facility has been slated for a state-funded, $100-million expansion that would triple its capacity and modernize facilities. Budget constraints have put the project on hold.

Maldonado has been held at the High Desert jail since Jan. 22. He was arrested Dec. 3, 2008, in Ontario and initially lodged at the sheriff's West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Ontario police had obtained a $1 million arrest warrant for Maldonado, alleging that he and another man used knives to kidnap, carjack, rob and assault several people in five incidents in November 2008 -- three on the same day.

According to a criminal complaint filed at San Bernardino County Superior Court, Maldonado is charged with three counts of kidnapping for carjacking, four counts of second-degree robbery and single counts of assault with great bodily injury, attempted carjacking and assault with a deadly weapon.

"I don't have evidence that they knew any of the victims," said Deputy District Attorney Erica Gallegos. "I believe they were looking for easy targets."

Maldonado has pleaded not guilty and was next scheduled to appear in court, along with the other defendant, on Tuesday to confirm a Sept. 3 preliminary hearing.

Though bail had been set at $1 million in the pending case, the suspect also was being detained without bail on a federal immigration hold to determine if he is in the country illegally, records show.

Maldonado is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes and a tattoo reading "Catracho" on his back. He has connections to Ontario, Rialto and San Bernardino.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call sheriff's dispatchers at 760-245-4211 or WeTip at 800-782-7463.




http://www.pe.com/localnews/sbcounty/st ... 5e06a.html