1 of 2 escaped Virginia inmates is arrested in Mexico, FBI says

Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on May 4, 2023

(RICHMOND, Va.) — One of the two inmates who escaped a Virginia jail has been arrested in Mexico following a dayslong manhunt, according to the FBI.

Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo, 26, was taken into custody by Mexican authorities in the state of Guerrero on Thursday afternoon, the FBI said.

“The investigation to determine his exact movements is ongoing,” the FBI said.

Marin-Sotelo, 26, and Bruce Callahan, 44, both federal detainees, escaped over the weekend from the Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, which is about 70 miles west of Richmond, according to the Prince Edward County Sheriff’s Department.

“They somehow, we think, were potentially able to manipulate some locks, crawled through an opening that led them out into the rec-yard area,” U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Larry Moltzan, told ABC News in an exclusive interview. “From there, they scaled two fences to get away from the jail.”

Moltzan said one escapee left 20 hours before the other, but he believes they might’ve talked about their plans.

“I think it’s fair to reason that they may have talked about it, given that it was so similar,” Moltzan said. “But they did not escape at the same time and didn’t necessarily help each other in that way.”

Callahan is convicted of multiple federal drug charges and Marin-Sotelo is convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm, the sheriff’s department said. Both are from North Carolina, the department said.

Marin-Sotelo is also a defendant in the murder of deputy Ned Byrd of the Wake County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina, Wake County officials said.

Marin-Sotelo fled the jail in a 2003 red or burgundy Ford Mustang, which remains missing, the FBI said. Authorities are asking for help finding the car, which has a 30-day North Carolina temporary tag.

His sister, Adriana Marin-Sotelo, has been arrested for allegedly helping her brother escape, Raleigh ABC station WTVD reported.