Another Jail Escapee Captured, 7 Still At Large

A sixth escapee from the County Jail in Chula Vista was captured Sunday, leaving seven prisoners still at large following a the biggest jailbreak in San Diego County history.

Charles Christopher Neumann, who was jailed on petty theft charges before his escape, was arrested at 100 F Street by San Diego police who were acting on a tip from the Crime Stoppers hotline.

Officer Scott Haney said that Neumann, who offered no resistance, had attempted to change his appearance by coloring his hair from blond to black and altering a tattoo.

According to Haney, police were tipped off that Neumann, 29, was seen in the downtown area and that a stolen vehicle was en route to pick him up at F and Union streets. Police followed the vehicle and arrested Neumann and David Guinn, 33, who was driving the stolen car. Guinn was charged with auto theft and jailed.

“These guys are not the sharpest tools in the shed,” said police Sgt. Jim Clear, commenting on the ease of the recent captures.

Lance Williams, who was in jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon before his escape, was captured late Saturday, a few blocks away from the downtown police station.

A tipster told police that Williams, 25, and two other persons were hiding in a camper parked in a lot at the corner of 15th and F streets. One of the other men was arrested on an outstanding felony warrant.

The prisoners escaped last Wednesday from the South Bay jail’s high security unit. They cut through the bars with hacksaws that were smuggled in and lowered themselves on bedsheets from a fourth-floor window.

Red-faced Sheriff’s Department officials and deputies who guard jail inmates were still coping with embarrassment Sunday.

The county has hired private security guards to patrol the outside of the jail, making sure that prisoners stay inside.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors is expected to call for a review of security at all county jail facilities.

Still at large Sunday night were three men--AudiasGomez, 36; Christopher Bell, 21; and Sergio Martinez, 22--awaiting trial on murder charges and considered “very dangerous” by jail officials.

Sheriff John Duffy has complained repeatedly about overcrowding at the county’s jail facilities. The Chula Vista jail has been the site of numerous riots and previous breakouts. Seven inmates escaped in December when they smashed through a window and lowered themselves on bedsheets. Two of those prisoners are still at large. Jail officials said that motion sensors in the windows are obsolete and no longer operable in the 8-year-old facility.