Man who escaped eastern Iowa jail is captured

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Eastern Iowa authorities have captured a prisoner who may have used jail renovations to hide his escape.

Authorities say 25-year-old Jeremy Mask, of Traer, was captured just before 9:30 a.m. Friday south of La Porte City. He’d escaped a little before 4 p.m. Thursday from Black Hawk County Jail in Waterloo.

Officers from several jurisdictions helped pursue Mask, whose trail ran through Benton, Black and Tama counties.

Mask is awaiting trial on a Waterloo robbery charge.

Sheriff Tony Thompson says that as Mask was escaping, employees of two companies were in the jail working on projects to add security cameras and upgrade the inmate visitation phones. Thompson will check whether the work inadvertently contributed to the security breach evidenced by Mask’s escape.