Inmate trustee after escape attempt

A 26-year-old Key Largo inmate trustee serving a 180 sentence in Monroe County jail in Marathon for a fraud conviction attempted to run away from his work detail at the Florida Keys Marathon International Airport Tuesday morning.

Rico Munn Rodriguez was further charged with escape.

Rodriguez was assigned to cut grass at the Marathon airport. The Sheriff’s Office sends two or three inmate trustees to the Marathon airport daily to perform maintenance, which includes cutting grass and removing garbage among other similar tasks. Rodriguez was assigned to a Monroe County employee who works at the airport who has taken the Sheriff’s Office Inmate Supervisor’s Course, which is required for those who supervise inmate trustees.

Both Rodriguez and the county employee were on riding lawnmowers and at some point the county employee lost sight of Rodriguez. The Sheriff’s Office was notified at that time — 9:43 a.m.

Many Middle Keys Deputies and Detectives quickly swarmed the scene and set up a perimeter around the airport while others began viewing multiple security camera footage in which Rodriguez was seen changing out of his jail clothes into a pair of pants and running toward U.S. 1.

Middle Keys Marine Deputy Wilfredo Guerra located a shirtless Rodriguez running from 92nd Street toward the airport rental car parking area. Deputy Guerra quickly placed Rodriguez in custody.

It was learned Rodriguez found the pants he changed into at the work shed at the airport.

Rodriguez was previously booked into the jail on Sept. 30 and was scheduled to be released on Feb. 5, 2020 prior to his brief escape attempt on Tuesday.

The Sheriff’s Office typically sends about 40 to 50 inmate trustees out into the county daily to do similar tasks to those in which they are assigned at the Marathon airport. Inmates trustees are not convicted of violent crimes. They typically have a short time left on their sentences. They are serving a sentence as opposed to awaiting trial. If they have little or no disciplinary issues in jail, they may qualify for trustee status, which in turn may help them acquire gain time, which can shave time of their sentences.

Rodriguez was sent to the Monroe County Detention Center on Stock Island after he was captured.

Rodriguez will likely lose his trustee status and lose all his gain time.

Rodriguez was also charged with a felony.

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