An Alamosa County Jail inmate being held on a murder charge slipped out of his handcuffs and overpowered a deputy this afternoon, then briefly got away in an white unmarked sheriff’s department cruiser.
Tyron Jay Martinez, 33, of Alamosa was captured later in the day in Chaffee County, a Conejos County Jail employee said. She referred all other questions to Sheriff Robert Gurule, who did not immediately return a call.
After Martinez’s 2 p.m. escape, the Sheriff’s Department said he was considered armed and dangerous, though the Conejos County Sheriff’s Department is not saying how he got a weapon in addition to a cruiser.
Martinez was on his way to court at the time of the escape. He faces first-degree murder and other charges in the shooting death of 48-year-old Norma Salazar in La Jara on Aug. 6. Authorities have called the case a revenge murder related to the death of one of Martinez’s uncles.
His trial is scheduled for September, but records show he had a court hearing today on trial issues raised by lawyers.
Martinez has a lengthy criminal record, including charges of assault, menacing, burglary, domestic violence and other charges.
