inmate escapes valentine’s day: Andrew Dekenipp Made Daring Valentine’s Day Escape UPDATE

The 40-year old inmate of the jail in Pinal County, Arizona, is back behind bars after enjoying a few sweet hours of freedom on Valentine’s Day. Joseph Andrew Dekenipp made a daring escape on Friday by scaling two high walls and getting scratched up after crawling through a barbed wire fence. Dekenipp made a break for it so he could meet his girlfriend at a favorite bar and grill in Coolidge, which is about half an hour’s drive from Phoenix. Dekenipp has been behind bars since early January, when he was arrested for driving a vehicle using a suspended license in addition to vehicle theft and trafficking in stolen goods.

Local police aided by U.S. Marshals acted quickly when advised he had escaped and immediately set up road blocks in the area in addition to bringing in search dogs to pick up Dekenipp’s scent.

Right now, Pinal County Sheriff's deputies are searching for an escaped inmate. #roadblocks #perimeters @azfamily pic.twitter.com/xZ2AA1VuzK

— Steve Ryan (@SteveRyanTV) February 15, 2014

“We had talked to some of the other inmates who he was staying with and they told us he was lonely, it was Valentine’s Day he wanted to go see his girlfriend so that’s why he planned his escape,” PCSO’s Tim Gaffney said.

Other inmates at the jail report that Dekenipp confided to them that he felt very lonely and was devising a plan so that he could hook up with his lady friend on Valentine’s Day, aided by another friend who picked him up at a nearby gas station following his escape. He now faces escape charges.

Officials say he is now facing an escape charge.

on The Web:
Authorities capture inmate after he escapes from Pinal County Detention Center
http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_central_southern_az/florence/pcso-search-underway-after-inmate-escapes-from-pinal-county-detention-center