ARIZONA INMATE JOSEPH DEKENIPP ESCAPES PRISON TO MEET HIS SWEETHEART FOR VALENTINE'S DAY

JOSEPH ANDREW DEKENIPP

An Arizona jail inmate who escaped by climbing two walls and crawling through razor wire and was reportedly meeting his sweetheart on Valentine’s Day is back in custody.

The Pinal County Sheriff’s office says in a release that inmate Joseph Andrew Dekenipp was caught a few hours after he escaped Friday from the county detention center.

The office says he would undergo treatment for serious cuts he got from the wire before being returned to the lockup.

The Arizona Republic reports that the 40-year-old Dekenipp was arrested without incident after he arrived at a Coolidge saloon and grill where he was to meet his girlfriend. Coolidge is about 35 miles southeast of Phoenix.

Dekenipp has been in jail since his arrest Jan. 10 on suspicion of vehicle theft, trafficking in stolen property, unlawful flight, and driving on a suspended license.

Officials say he is now facing an escape charge.