Valentine's Day Escapee Back In Jail | News

A North Valley inmate is back behind bars after a Valentine's Day escape and a wild chase.

The Merced County Sheriff's Department says 32-year-old Zachary Johnson hijacked a taxi cab and led officers on a 39-mile chase down Highway 152 Wednesday morning.

Deputies say the chase ended with Johnson crawling out of a chicken coop near Gilroy, where he hid after jumping out of the cab and running away.

Johnson is back in jail, and he's not alone.

40-year-old Jeanette Segovia, who deputies are calling Johnson's girlfriend, and 25-year-old Dawn Hathaway, Johnson's wife, are also behind bars. Investigators say the two women helped Johnson escape.

According to the sheriff's department, Johnson cut a hole in the ceiling of a shower at the John Latorraca Correctional Facility in Merced early Tuesday morning, climbed over a razor wire fence, and caught a cab to Los Banos where his girlfriend was waiting.

Investigators say they caught up with Johnson when he went to pick up money from his wife, triggering the chase and his capture.