2 escape jail and go to IHOP, where patrons report them

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — Authorities say two inmates in a Virginia jail used primitive tools to create a hole in the wall of their cell and escape and were found hours later at an IHOP restaurant nearby. A statement from the Newport News Sheriff’s Office says the inmates exploited a construction design weakness and used tools made from a toothbrush and a metal object to access to untied rebars between the walls. Officials say they then used the rebar, escaped from the cell and scaled an outside wall. They were discovered missing Monday evening but were taken into custody again early Tuesday after patrons at an IHOP called police.