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Was escaped inmate at motel in Marina, sheriff’s still investigating

With the inmates who broke out of the Monterey County Jail this past week found and arrested at the US-Mexico border, questions still remain about what exactly happened at a Motel 6 in Marina on Tuesday.

Authorities responded to a report at that motel at around 1 p.m. on Tuesday. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office says a motel employee thought they had spotted one of the escapees, Jonathan Salazar, on the premises.

The sheriff’s office says they are confident no one left the motel after deputies surrounded the perimeter.

“We got a very credible report that we thought that Mr. Salazar was in the Motel 6 in Marina,” said Captain John Thornburg, of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. “We had a person call in, which is exactly what we’ve been trying to do.”

It turns out Salazar was not there. He and 21-year-old Santos Fonseca were captured at the US-Mexico border at around midnight on Tuesday after trying to walk back into the country.

The sheriff’s office says they still believe their witness was credible, and they had gone through all the investigative steps to confirm that tip.

“It all looked like we had Mr. Salazar in a motel room there,” said Cpt. Thornburg. “We got a warrant signed by a judge to go in and get him. Unfortunately, last night, he wasn’t there.”

The sheriff’s office is still investigating whether Salazar was in fact in Marina during the standoff, if he somehow escaped before police arrived or if he went straight to Mexico in the first place.

Thornburg says part of the investigation will be piecing together what happened after they had broken out of jail and before they were captured.

The captain told KION it is possible the witness may have actually seen another wanted criminal in Marina with a similar face tattoo as Salazar’s, only the other fugitive has a “C” and not a “P” on his cheek.

“I’m glad they got him. More people can sleep tonight especially in the area around where they escaped from definitely,” said Gloria Howell, who was shopping in Marina on Wednesday.

Based on Google Maps, if Salazar was in Marina At around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, it would have taken him about seven hours to get to Tijuana by car with traffic. He would have only spent four hours in Mexico before deciding to cross the border again.

The sheriff’s office had over 20 SWAT team members on scene last night in Marina, and people here are relieved it is over.

“That’s pretty scary and I thought I’m glad I wasn’t shopping at the Walmart because it’s right next to it,” said Howell.

Authorities say even though they captured both escapees, their investigation is not over. They will still be looking into whether the pair had any outside or inside help to escape.

Article Topic Follows: Monterey County

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