SAN ANTONIO – Less than a week since the day three male inmates escaped from the Bexar County Jail, documents obtained by KSAT 12 Defenders detail how the murder suspects received help from the outside.
On Thursday, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged 17-year-old Marcos Maldonado, 23-year-old Michelle Ramirez, and 59-year-old Gabriella De Arroyo with aiding in the escape of the inmates.
The inmates who were described as “violent offenders” by Sheriff Javier Salazar are identified as Eric Trevino, Jacob Brownson, and Luis Antonio Arroyo.
LATEST STORY ON KSAT.COM: 3 suspects accused of aiding escaped inmates at Bexar County Jail arrested
On the day of the escape, Ramirez was detained, read her Miranda rights and participated in a videotaped interview where she spoke to investigators.
Full recap of today’s developments in the jailbreak of three capital murder suspects #KSATnews https://t.co/IqLaUwLS0Q
— Dillon Collier (@dilloncollier) March 9, 2018
According to an arrest affidavit, the plot for Friday’s escape began a week earlier on Feb. 22, when investigators found a recorded phone call between inmate Trevino and his ex-girlfriend, Ramirez.
During the call, Trevino told Ramirez to pick up his friend Maldonado, who views the inmate as an older brother, according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, Ramirez told investigators in the taped interview she drove Maldonado and De Arroyo to the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on Feb. 23, the day after she spoke with Trevino.
The affidavit states De Arroyo gave Maldonado a package containing narcotics, a saw blade, and a long metal object.
De Arroyo, the mother of inmate Luis Arroyo, showed the pair a hand-drawn map of the front of the detention center where Maldonado would find a bottle and a charger and attach the package to the bottle, according to Ramirez’s statement.
READ MORE ON KSAT.COM: Here's everything we know about the 3 inmates who escaped the Bexar County Jail
According to Ramirez’s statement, De Arroyo and Maldonado exited the vehicle parked in front of the detention center where the teen boy attached the package to the bottle at the same location the three inmates escaped.
An unknown person, according to Ramirez’s video statement, then drew up the package into the recreational area.
Salazar said on Thursday that investigators determined a fishing line was hanging from the recreational area where the inmates made a small hole in the mesh at the edge of the area.
Sheriff Javier Salazar gives information on jail escape from last Friday.
Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Thursday, March 8, 2018
On Mar. 3, during a taped interview, De Arroyo admitted to being in the vehicle with Ramirez and Maldonado on the day of the visit but denied speaking with the teen or receiving a call from her son, according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, De Arroyo is seen on the jail’s surveillance video around 12:50 p.m. entering and exiting the detention center while communicating with Maldonado and holding a cellphone to her ear.
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The affidavit states a telephone call was recorded on Feb. 23 around 12:29 p.m. between inmate Arroyo and his mother, De Arroyo, who was using Ramirez’s cellphone.
De Arroyo can be heard asking her son in Spanish to stick an arm out so they can see him and Arroyo is heard telling an unknown person to stick his arm out, according to the affidavit.
ORIGINAL STORY: Three inmates captured following escape from Bexar County Jail
The affidavit states Ramirez received a call from Trevino who requested to be picked up after their escape, and that she objected at first to pick him up because she had one of her children in the car. But she went anyway.
According to the affidavit, Ramirez pulled up to the curb in front of the detention center where she saw the three inmates sliding down the sheets.
Ramirez then drove Trevino, Arroyo, and Brownson to De Arroyo’s apartment where they were provided with a change of clothes, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit states Ramirez then drove the trio to the Sonic Drive-In at the intersection of Blanco Road and Hildebrand Avenue.
On the day of the escape, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said Ramirez called 911 and told the dispatcher where authorities could find the escaped inmates.
Salazar said Ramirez, De Arroyo, and Maldonado’s charges may be upgraded to organized crime or conspiracy at a later date.
Jail Escape ArrestDeputies have arrested a woman in connection with the jail escape last Friday.
Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Thursday, March 8, 2018
He also added that the sheriff’s office will be creating a team whose sole purpose is to test escape methods at the jail in order to prevent future escapes.
The sheriff said at least four other inmates will have charges added for aiding the three inmates in the escape. He said their names will also be released at a later date.