Three of the six men who escaped from the Merced County Jail and were later apprehended, were given eight years in prison for their escape, the Merced County District Attorney’s Office reported.

Andres Nunez-­Rodriguez, Fabian Roman and Gabriel Coronado were convicted of escape by force or violence and admitted a gang enhancement that the crime was committed for the benefit of or in association with a criminal street gang.

Each of these defendants received a sentence of eight years for their no contest pleas. Their sentences are to be served consecutive to the sentences received in the cases pending at the time of the escape.

In the late evening hours of Jan. 9 and early morning of Jan. 10, the defendants cut through a vent in a cell shared by nine inmates. The inmates accessed an air conditioning unit and made access to the jail's roof, where they utilized a rope made of bedsheets to get to the street.

Roman and Nunez-Rodriguez were apprehended with the assistance of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the San Ysidro Port of Entry when the escapees attempted to cross the border into Mexico.

Coronado was captured by Merced County Sheriff's Deputies assigned to the STAR team. 

In addition to the above charges, Nunez-Rodriguez was convicted of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, a gun enhancement, and two counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling and was sentenced to a total of 24 years and four months to be served in state prison.

Coronado was convicted of assault with a firearm, a gun enhancement and shooting at an inhabited dwelling. He was sentenced to a total of 22 years and four months in state prison.

At the time of the escape, Roman was serving a 25-years to life sentence. He received eight years consecutive to the life sentence.

Escapee Edgar Ventura turned himself into the Firebaugh Police Department a few days after the escape. Previously, Ventura entered a similar no contest plea and received a total sentence of eight years in state prison.