Linn County inmate turns himself in after third escape

CEDAR RAPIDS – An inmate who was at the Linn County Jail turned himself in Monday evening, the same day he escaped from custody.

James A. Tamayo, 24, of Belle Plaine, now faces an additional charge of escape after walking away from Mercy Medical Center while on a police hold Monday, authorities said. He turned himself in at the jail around 10:50 p.m. Monday.

Maj. Pete Wilson, assistant jail administrator, said Tamayo was taken to the hospital around 5 a.m. Monday, a few hours after an arrest in Cedar Rapids for careless driving and driving with a suspended license.

“He complained that he had ingested serveral drugs, and so we took him to Mercy as a precaution,” Wilson said.

Wilson said an arrangement was made for hospital staff to call the sheriff's office when Tamayo was ready to be released. But before that happened, around 9:30 a.m., Tamayo left the hospital on his own. He spent about 13 hours on the loose before returning to jail.

Tamayo has previous convictions for escaping from custody in 2005 and 2006, according to online court records.

Wilson said no deputy was standing guard at Tamayo's room, because of the relatively minor charges.

“We just treat each case individually, assessing the seriousness of the charge and past history,” Wilson said.