Escape from local jail costs Torres two years
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The escapee, Filiberto Torres, 31, entered a guilty plea before Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley to the charge of felony escape and was ordered to serve two years in prison. The drug cases, which he was being held on at the time – and could cost him up to 20 more years in prison – are yet to be tried and were docketed for July 13, 2006.
Authorities admit they were surprised he was ever captured given his connections in California and Mexico, from where they believe he was importing cocaine to traffic in Warren County prior to the raid on his Bethany Road home in late 1999. It was during the raid lawmen arrested him and his girlfriend, Herlinda Ramirez, after finding 96 grams of cocaine and drug money. Ramirez served a year in jail and remains on probation.
However, Torres did not wait around for his day in court. Lawmen say while being led back from the exercise yard with several other inmates in the old Warren County Jail, Torres slipped into an unlocked room and waited for the guard to go inside. He then scaled the wall, jumped down and darted to freedom.
Torres was caught last year in California when he was picked up on unrelated charges. A nationwide alert for his arrest was discovered by authorities there and he was extradited back to Tennessee.