Valentine's Day jail break: Inmate escapes to see his sweetheart
Joseph Andrew Dekenipp escaped on Valentine's Day from an Arizona county jail in order to see his sweetheart. He was captured at a bar where they were supposed to meet.
Joseph Andrew Dekenipp, an inmate of the Pinal County jail, escaped by climbing two walls and crawling through razor wire and was reportedly meeting his sweetheart on Valentine's Day.
(AP Photo/Pinal County Sheriff)
Phoenix, Ariz.
Would you risk razor wire to be with your Valentine?
An Arizona jail inmate who escaped by climbing two walls and crawling through razor wire and was reportedly trying to meet his sweetheart on Valentine's Day is back in custody.
The Pinal County Sheriff's office says in a release that inmate Joseph Andrew Dekenipp was caught a few hours after he escaped Friday from the county detention center.
The office says he would undergo treatment for serious cuts he got from the wire before being returned to the lockup.
The Arizona Republic reports that the 40-year-old Dekenipp would have had to scale 12-feet of fence, crawl through razor wire, and scale another wire-topped fence in order to escape the prison.
Dekenipp was arrested without incident after he arrived at a Coolidge, Ariz., saloon and grill where he was to meet his girlfriend. Coolidge is about 35 miles southeast of Phoenix. She reportedly arrived just before the police.
Officials say he told other inmates he was broken hearted for having been away from his girlfriend for so long.
Dekenipp has been in jail since his arrest Jan. 10 on suspicion of vehicle theft, trafficking in stolen property, unlawful flight, and driving on a suspended license.
Officials say he is now facing an escape charge.