2 inmates who used toothbrush, tool to escape, back in Virginia jail after being reported by patrons at nearby IHOP

Two inmates in a Virginia jail used primitively made tools to create a hole in the wall of their cell and escape, only to be found hours later at an IHOP restaurant nearby, a sheriff said.

Authorities discovered the two men, John M. Garza, 37, and Arley V. Nemo, 43, missing from their cell in the Newport News jail annex during a routine head count Monday evening, according to a statement from the Newport News Sheriff’s Office.

A preliminary investigation 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 — and then used the rebar to further their escape, the statement said. After escaping their cell, they scaled a containment wall around the jail.

The two inmates dug out a hole in the wall with makeshift tools, listed as “a toothbrush and metal object,” the sheriff’s office said. The metal object was not described in detail, but presumably the toothbrush was similar to those in general use.

Authorities had asked for the public’s help to find the men, and they were taken into custody again early Tuesday at an IHOP in Hampton when other patrons called police.

“It reinforces what we always say, ‘See something, say something,’” Sheriff Gabe Morgan said.

Garza, who lives in Hampton, had been in custody on several charges, including contempt of court, probation violations, and failure to appear, the sheriff’s office said.

Nemo, a Gloucester resident, was being held on numerous charges including credit card fraud, credit card larceny, forgery, possession of burglary tools, grand larceny, contempt of court, and probation violation, the sheriff’s office said.

Charges related to the escape are pending, the sheriff said.