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Charlie Michael Everitt escaped from jail in Merced County Monday night. The @MercedSheriff says he chiseled through the wall, Shawshank-style, climbed up through the HVAC system to the roof, and got out.
Seen him? Call 209-385-7445
Seen him? Call 209-385-7445
Everitt had been at the John Latorraca Correctional Center for DUI manslaughter since October 2019. He had a court date coming up in a couple weeks. The Undersheriff says he was a compliant inmate who was involved in work assignments and other programs. They didn’t expect this.
Btw, there were 19 other people in the unit with Everitt who would’ve watched him carving out this tunnel, and didn’t mention anything. All of them could’ve escaped with him in theory, but stayed.
The Sheriff’s Office says Merced’s jails are antiquated; the one this guy escaped from started as a weekender jail/farm in 1991
They’re also understaffed; everyone works overtime and morale is low. The Sheriff’s Office has been trying for years to get funding to bolster the jail
They’re also understaffed; everyone works overtime and morale is low. The Sheriff’s Office has been trying for years to get funding to bolster the jail
Everitt is the SEVENTH inmate to escape from a Merced County Jail this year. In January, 6 guys broke out of jail (not the same one as Everitt) by making ropes out of sheets and climbing out. “Like Alcatraz without the water,” the Undersheriff said.
These 2 are still missing
These 2 are still missing
I asked Undersheriff Corey Gibson about the damage Everitt caused to the jail when he broke out. He says there was significant damage, but the building itself is already pretty run-down. The Sheriff's Office has been trying to get it renovated for years.
More on the efforts to try to renovate the jails:
Basically, the Sheriff's Office has been running into bureaucratic hurdles for years. Because it's taken so long, construction costs have gone up, so now the planned budget won't be enough to pay for the upgrades.
Basically, the Sheriff's Office has been running into bureaucratic hurdles for years. Because it's taken so long, construction costs have gone up, so now the planned budget won't be enough to pay for the upgrades.
