Santa Clara Co. sheriff still searching for 2 escaped inmates

Byby Sergio Quintana KGO logo
Monday, November 28, 2016
Santa Clara Co. sheriff still searching for 2 escaped inmates
Santa Clara County deputies are still searching for two jail inmates who escaped on Thanksgiving eve and have offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to their arrest.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Santa Clara County deputies are still searching for two jail inmates who escaped on Thanksgiving eve.

Rogelio Chavez and Laron Campbell were among four men who escaped. Two were re-captured almost immediately.

RELATED: Santa Clara Co. Sheriff offers reward for missing inmates

This weekend, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith granted exclusive access to the jail where they broke out.

According to Smith, inmates may have spent days, even weeks planning their escape and cutting through bars to make it happen.

Deputies have since dispatched K-9's to track the scent of Chavez and Campbell, the two men who are still on the run.

They were among 20 other men who were housed in a jail pod.

Investigators have still not found the tool that was used to cut through metal.

Pictures show the iron bars were hacked away and exterior metal panels were pried open.

Smith believes the men have an extensive network of contacts in the Bay Area.

She's hoping people are not helping them stay on the run and said aiding escapees is a serious crime.

The sheriff's department has put out a $20,000 reward for information that will lead to the recapture of Chavez and Campbell.