Canyon County tent jail escapee gets 8-year sentence
Juan V. Cervantes, 25, of Nampa, was sentenced Thursday to several years in prison in connection with his escape from jail last October, according to Canyon County Prosecutor Bryan Taylor.
Judge Christopher S. Nye sentenced Cervantes to 3 years fixed and 2 years indeterminate on a felony escape charge, and 3 years indeterminate for felony possession of a controlled substance. Cervantes pleaded guilty in November to the charges.
The sentences will run consecutive to each other and concurrent to his sentence on a felony probation violation. Nye also ordered Cervantes to pay court costs.
Cervantes was arrested by Idaho State Police last May, after they pulled him over and found him in possession of methamphetamine. While in custody awaiting trial, Cervantes and another inmate, Jeffrey Duvall, escaped from the jail’s minimum-security tent facility.
The men jumped into the kitchen area and broke through an exterior door about 10:30 p.m. Oct. 1. Their escape was the fourth in 18 months from the decade-old tent structure, which is separate from the overcrowded Canyon County Jail. All of the escapes ended with the inmate being recaptured.
Cervantes and Duvall were arrested a few days later after police found them hiding at the Caldwell home of Cervantes’ girlfriend, Korena Irma Valencia, authorities said.
“Mr. Cervantes showed he has no regard for the law when he made the decision to escape from the Canyon County Jail,” said Deputy Prosecutor Anne Voss. “I’m thankful that today’s sentence will hold him accountable. I’m also hopeful that it sends a message to others that escaping, or attempting to escape from jail, will simply not be tolerated.”
Audrey Dutton: 208-377-6448, @audreydutton
A SPATE OF ESCAPES
In the past 13 months, eight inmates have escaped from the “tent” jail in six incidents. All were recaptured:
▪ Dec. 5, 2015: Jose Cuevas, facing multiple grand theft charges, scaled the exterior fence.
▪ Feb. 1, 2016: Jose Coronado, an inmate with multiple misdemeanor domestic violence charges, cut through 18 inches of insulation with a jail-issued plastic razor. He was later recaptured.
▪ Aug. 2, 2016: Burglary and concealed weapon violation suspect Abel Garcia climbed over the exterior fence and jumped into a waiting vehicle.
▪ Oct. 1, 2016: Jeffery Duval and Juan Cervantes climbed a partial wall into the kitchen, then broke through an emergency fire door. Duval was in jail on charges of attempted strangulation and domestic battery with traumatic injury, and Cervantes had misdemeanor drug and DUI charges.
▪ Nov. 1, 2016: Brandon James and Ian Benoit climbed over the exterior fence of the exercise yard. Luna faced multiple charges including drugs and concealed weapon offenses and was found hiding under a house in the neighborhood. Benoit broke his leg in the escape and was immediately captured.
▪ Dec. 28, 2016: Ryan Michael Tone, in custody for a probation violation on a domestic battery charge, climbed over the partial kitchen wall and broke through the kitchen’s exterior door.
This story was originally published January 19, 2017 at 3:49 PM with the headline "Canyon County tent jail escapee gets 8-year sentence."