Following the escape of four prison inmates from Otero County Jail on Tuesday, authorities successfully captured three of them Wednesday and are continuing the search for the last one, the Denver Post reported.
According to the Otero County Sheriff's Office, the inmates escaped around 8 p.m. "after rushing a detention officer and then opening a second cell to let two other inmates out of another cell."
Curtis Apodaca, Malcom Hoffert, and Johnny Nunez were all caught by authorities in La Junta, according to Aaron W. Eveatt, the La Junta fire chief, acting spokesman for the county and the sheriff's office.
However, Angel Castrejon is still at large.
In a blog post, Otero County Sheriff Chris Johnson said the inmates escaped on Tuesday night after fighting with a deputy. Once they left the prison facility, they ran across Highway 50 and into the La Junta rail yards -- where investigators reportedly found some of their clothes.
Apodaca was facing drug charges while the rest of the inmates were facing charges ranging from motor vehicle theft to escape, according to the Post.
Multiple law enforcement agencies are assisting in the search for Castrejon, including police from La Junta and Rocky Ford, Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Department of Corrections, Colorado Adult Parole, and the Bent County Sheriff's Office.
On Wednesday, La Junta Public Schools were placed on heightened security.
