San Francisco Sheriff's Deputies Searching for Inmate Who Escaped While Taking Out Trash – 2nd Time in Less Than Year

San Francisco sheriff's deputies are searching for an inmate who escaped while he was taking out the trash Monday night - the second such breakaway in less than 10 months.

Alex Santiago-Gonzales, 26, was being escorted by a deputy sheriff  to the Hall of Justice basement to take out the trash about 8:45 p.m., according to a sheriff's news release.

While in transit to the basement dumpster, Santiago-Gonzales fled on Harriet Alley towards Harrison Street., the sheriff's department said. The deputy sheriff ran after the convicted drug dealer but was unable to find him. 

Sheriff's spokeswoman Kathy Gorwood said there is an active internal investigation  to review the "policies, procedure and the circumstances surrounding the escape."

Santiago-Gonzales was booked into the county jail in July 2014 on a United States Marshal hold for violation of narcotics trafficking, possession of a firearm and a felon in possession of firearms in narcotics trafficking, according to the sheriff's department. According to a news release at the time, Santiago-Gonzales, whose last name was spelled with a z, was arrested in Pescadero and had in his possession: 14 firearms, high capacity magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and two sets of body armor.  Two of the handguns were reported to have been stolen.  One was stolen out of Santa Cruz and the other was reported stolen out of Fort Bragg.

Santiago-Gonzales' escape comes after a similar escape in June. That's when Timony Midgett, 40, of San Francisco ran away - also, while taking out the trash at the San Francisco Hall of Justice. A few days later, someone reported that Midgett was in a homeless shelter, and he was arrested on one count of felony escape. He had originally been convicted on a narcotics offense.

And in Santa Clara County, authorities are still looking for Johnell Carter, a 40-year-old accused sex offender who escaped March 6 from the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose after he fought with a deputy and injured him. A $6,000 reward is being offered leading to his capture and arrest.

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