EL CAJON : Deputies Capture Escaped Prisoner

A prisoner found hiding in a market early Monday was arrested seven hours after he broke out of the escape-prone County Jail in El Cajon, a Sheriff’s Department official said.

The El Cajon jail has come under heavy criticism by top county officials because of frequent escapes. The jail was built in 1983 and houses more than 250 inmates.

The captured fugitive, Daryl K. Woods, 29, of East San Diego, used a metal bar he broke off his jail bed to dig an 18-inch hole in a wall leading to the outside of his seventh-floor cell. officials said. He then fashioned a rope from linen he tied together to lower himself to an adjacent roof on the third floor and jumped to the ground to make his escape, authorities said.

Deputies were notified of the escape at 1:05 a.m. by two inmates who shared the cell with Woods.

A civilian who recognized Woods called police about 8:50 a.m., and he was captured two blocks away from his last residence, on Woodbine Way, officials said.

Woods had been in custody on robbery charges since Dec. 31 and was being held on $150,000 bail. He hurt his ankle during the jail escape and is being held at County Jail downtown San Diego, a Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman said.