Federal marshals caught interstate fugitive Rocky Marquez on Jan. 15, but Wayne County deputies let him loose Jan. 20.
"We are checking to see if he had help from employees within the agency," Sheriff Benny Napoleon is quoted in the Freep as saying.
"Obviously, I'm extremely concerned. I believe that it is a combination of employee error and possibly some technology error. That is what we are looking at at this point."
The sheriff said that if any employees did not follow proper procedures, which led to the escape, they would face severe discipline.
Marquez, 34, used the same escape tactic that worked for him in Arizona last May, as Ron Savage reports for Fox 2 News.
He switched identities with another inmate and Sunday morning Wayne County Sheriff's deputies allowed Marquez to simply walk out the door with other inmates who were all scheduled for release. . . .Rocky Marquez
No one at the jail even knew Marquez was gone until 4:30 Friday afternoon.
After eight months on the run, Marquez was found in a Detroit home with a loaded AK-47 nearby. He has family members who live in the city, Savage reports.
Marquez was wanted for jail escape, as well as allegations of fraud, forgery, witness tampering, misconduct involving weapons, perjury, intent to distribute cocaine and driving charges. He was awaiting extradition back to Phoenix
Now a delayed-start manhunt by a federal fugitive apprehension team is under way again. Benny Napoleon, the Wayne sheriff, tells Huel Perkins of Fox 2:
"We are working very closely with the U.S. Marshal Service to attempt to locate this person."
Marquez isn't the only one in trouble, the sheriff confirms.
"We will look at the process to see whether or not our policies and procedures were, in fact, followed," he tells Perkins. "If they were not, then obviously someone will have to take some severe disciplinary action."
