Two men who escaped jail arrested hours later at nearby restaurant

Two inmates who used primitively made tools to create a hole in the wall of their cell and escape in the US state of Virginia were found just hours later at a nearby restaurant.

The Associated Press reports that the two men, ages 37 and 43, went missing from their cell in the Newport News jail annex during a routine head count Monday evening.

Sheriffs said after investigations, they found the men exploited a weakness in the jail’s construction design and used tools made from a toothbrush and a metal object to access rebars between the walls.

They are said to have used the rebar to further their escape, where after escaping their cell, they scaled a containment wall around the jail.

Authorities had asked for the public’s help to find the men.

The two were taken into custody again on Tuesday at an IHOP in Hampton after other patrons called the police.

One of the men lives in Hampton and was in custody on charges including contempt of court and probation violations.

The other, a Gloucester resident, was being held on charges including credit card fraud, forgery, grand larceny and probation violation.

Authorities are yet to press charges related to the escape on the duo, the sheriff said.