2 inmates escape from jail

ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — Investigators are looking for two inmates who left a work detail near the Rockdale County jail Saturday.

Rockdale County Sheriff's authorities said Jose Alfredo Mendez and Cesar Villegas walked away from a work detail into a wooded area behind the jail. The inmates ditched their jail-issued jumpsuits, just inside the wood line shortly after, authorities said.

Deputies set up a perimeter in the area and a Georgia State Patrol helicopter was called in to try and help locate the inmates. Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office and Newton County Sheriff’s Office K9 units tracked the inmates through the woods, but lost the inmates' scent near Lake Rockaway Road.

Authorities believe the inmates had outside help and that someone picked them up in a vehicle near by.

Both inmates, who were in jail for non-violent charges, now face escape and other possible charges.

The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information on this case to call at 770-278-8000.

WSBTV