An “armed and dangerous” inmate accused of child molestation is on the run in Missouri after a violent prison break on Thursday night.
Mario Che Tiul, 34, escaped from the Barry County Jail in Cassville on Thursday night, the Pea Ridge Police Department (PRPD) said in a statement.
Tiul absconded alongside six other inmates, all of whom were in custody for various offenses related to child sex abuse, Barry County Sheriff Danny Boyd told OzarksFirst.com.
The group managed to escape after attacking two officers and putting them in chokeholds until they lost consciousness, Boyd said.
The escapees then handcuffed the officers in a cell.
A third officer witnessed the ambush and called for backup, while other inmates helped the police break windows in order to get to the injured jailers.
As of 7:45 a.m. Friday, only Tiul and registered sex offender Axel Gerardo Agans, 22, remained on the loose.
The PRPD warned that both were considered “armed and dangerous” and may be trying to leave the area.
Agans was subsequently captured by 8:15 a.m., OzarksFirst reported.
Tiul was arrested on Dec. 8, 2022, on charges of first-degree child molestation and incest, jail records show.
He was being held on $100,000 bond.
Barry County has turned the investigation over to the US Marshals, OzarksFirst.com said.