Police search for 'dangerous' inmates who escaped from Wash. jail
Channel: TIL
Date: 2017-04-05

Police in Washington State are hunting for two “dangerous” inmates who escaped from a correctional center on Tuesday.

Steven Roche and Chad Tipton — both 31 and from the Spokane area — busted out of the Yakima County Correctional Center after getting transferred there from an overcrowded jail in Idaho, officials said. They were last seen during a Monday night headcount, and guards reported their disappearance around 4 a.m. the next morning.

Officials discovered a door leading outdoors from an inside recreational yard had been left unsecured, and had pry marks on it.

“All indications are the door would have had to be left unsecured by a staff member who had access to facility keys,” the center said in a statement.

It is unclear when the door was unsecured, or who left it open. Officials also found an internal gate left open.

Officials said both men should be considered "dangerous," though it was not known if they are armed.

Roche was being held on burglary and grand theft charges, while Tipton was booked on charges for assault with a firearm, aggravated battery, unlawful possession of a firearm and resisting arrest. Police are notifying their victims while the men remain on the run.