Inmate gets pass for grandmother's funeral, flees with girlfriend instead, Madera County deputies say

MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - An inmate antecedently sentenced to jailhouse for home unit said helium was going to his grandmother's ceremonial successful Salinas to get a impermanent time walk connected Wednesday, but helium ne'er came back.

Deputies took 30-year-old Michael Sanchez and his girlfriend, 29-year-old Marie Cruz Perez into custody astir 11 a.m. connected Friday. This comes aft the sheriff's bureau said Sanchez failed to instrumentality from a court-allowed time walk to be to his grandmother's ceremonial connected Wednesday.

The sheriff's bureau says a visiting justice from Fresno granted Sanchez a impermanent time pass, and helium was expected to instrumentality by 7 p.m. that day. However, Sanchez, who was sentenced to 2 years for home violence, transgression threats and usurpation of probation, ne'er came back.

Deputies study observing Perez propulsion implicit on Avenue 23 and prime up Sanchez from an orchard. A abbreviated clip later, she pulled implicit again, and the 2 switched places, with Sanchez present driving the vehicle.

Deputies tried to pin the conveyance successful a abbreviated clip later, but said Sanchez crashed into different vehicles and drove disconnected astatine precocious speed. Deputies decided not to pursuit Sanchez aft they saw that determination were 2 children successful the vehicle.

According to the sheriff's office, Sanchez crashed into different vehicle, driven by a pistillate with 2 tiny children, successful the intersection of Avenue 7 and Road 23. Sanchez fled connected foot, but helium was tracked down by the department's craft and the Fresno County Sheriff's Eagle 1 chopper and was taken into custody successful little than 30 minutes.

The sheriff's bureau said Sanchez present faces further charges for deed and run, battle with a deadly limb and felony kid endangerment. Perez was arrested astatine the country of the clang nether suspicion of felony endangerment and accessory.

The 3 children successful the conveyance were taken into Child Protective Services custody.