Inmate escapes Ark. jail, leaves flower

VAN BUREN, Ark. -- Crawford County authorities say an inmate escaped the county jail and left behind a rose fashioned out of toilet paper because he felt sorry for breaking out.

Luis Camacho-Mendoza was recaptured a day later on Wednesday in a Van Buren home after police received a tip. Investigator Ken Howard said Camacho-Mendoza was found hiding in a closet in a pile of clothes with a pillowcase over his head.

"But he wasn't hiding too good because you could see the outline of his head in the pillow case," Howard said. "We all grabbed him pretty quick and he didn't seem to be resisting."

Authorities said Camacho-Mendoza was in jail on drug charges and was expected to be deported to Mexico by immigration officials.

In his escape, Camacho-Mendoza broke open a lock on a kitchen door using a tool made from two screwdrivers, authorities said. Camacho-Mendoza worked in the kitchen.

When the inmate was discovered missing, authorities also found the flower, Howard said.

"When we asked him about that, he said he felt sorry for the captain for escaping," Howard said. "[The flower] looked pretty nice."