Woman Rearrested After Brief Escape

A 32-year-old parolee who escaped Wednesday from the back of a locked patrol car while still handcuffed surrendered after hiding in backyards for three hours, authorities said.

Monica Marquez, who allegedly violated her parole for petty theft, was booked into jail without bail Wednesday night after her arrest about 3 p.m. at her boyfriend’s house in the 2400 block of Balboa Street in El Rio, authorities said.

Marquez was first taken into custody about noon at her home in the 2600 block of Balboa Street after deputies found her under the influence of drugs, said Steve Schroeder, a spokesman for the state parole office.

Deputies had gone to Marquez’s home to interview her after receiving a report that she was in a brawl with another parolee earlier in the day in front of a parole office in Oxnard, Schroeder said.

After her first arrest, deputies left Marquez in the back of the patrol car and went to interview her boyfriend at his nearby home. When the deputies were out of sight, Marquez escaped, said Sheriff’s Capt. Keith Parks.

Authorities believe someone who knows Marquez and was in the area during her arrest used a tool to pry open the patrol car’s back door. Marquez maintains that she kicked the door open herself, authorities said.

After hiding in several backyards, Marquez went to the home of her boyfriend, who convinced her to turn herself in, Parks said.

Marquez is being held on suspicion of violating her parole and a misdemeanor escape charge, Parks said.