The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office did not notify the public after the escape of a 32-year-old male inmate charged with a violent crime, and, when asked directly by WXII News if an inmate had escaped, told the station’s reporters that “An inmate did not escape from either one of our detention centers.”
In a story that aired on Friday, Sept, 20, WXII stated, “WXII’s 12 investigates repeatedly reached out to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office Thursday after a tip came into our newsroom about an inmate escaping the jail in Greensboro.”
WXII stated that the Sheriff’s Office “repeatedly denied” that an inmate had escaped.
Several solid sources also contacted the Rhino Times Wednesday, Sept. 18 and Thursday, Sept. 19, saying that an escape from the jail in Greensboro had occurred and they were 100 percent certain the story was true. They also provided the inmate’s name, charges, method of escape and other details that sounded extremely convincing. But it was a baffling two days for the Rhino Times because, while the Sheriff’s Office was flat out denying an inmate had escaped, there was overwhelming and mounting evidence that in fact an inmate had.
Once the escapee had been caught and the Sheriff’s Office knew that the story would come out, the Sheriff’s Office finally called a news conference to inform the public.
On Monday, Sept. 16, at about 4:30 p.m., Carlos Geovany “Yobani” Diaz-Gomez escaped from the jail by using the ID card of another inmate who was scheduled to be released on that Monday.
Diaz-Gomez was being held on a large bond for the following charges:
- Misdemeanor Assault on a Female under NC General Statute 15A-543(C) with a $50,000 secured bond (emanating from Forsyth County charges)
- Misdemeanor Driving While Impaired under NC General Statute 20-138.1 with a $100 secured bond (Guilford County)
- Failure to Appear – Felony Common Law Robbery under NC General Statute 15A-543(B).
The big question is why the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office never informed the public and lied about the escape when asked.
One amazed law enforcement officer pointed out to the Rhino Times “This escapee was dangerous. He was charged with a violent crime – assault on a female.”
But he escaped from the jail on Monday, and the public wasn’t informed until Friday. One source familiar with the search said that Guilford County detention officers didn’t realize Diaz-Gomez was gone until Wednesday, and at that time, the Sheriff’s office quietly put out word to sheriff’s deputies and area law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for Diaz-Gomez.
The warrant initiated for Diaz-Gomez on Wednesday, Sept. 18, was for the following charges:
- Felony Escape from a Local Jail under NC General Statute 14-256.
- Felony Identity Theft under NC General Statute 14-113.20
The most obvious response when trying to catch an escapee is to follow the same procedure the Sheriff’s Office does when it’s looking for others suspected to have committed a felony: Send out a press release warning the public and get the suspect’s picture plastered all over media sites and newscasts.
That would warn the public that the escapee was on the loose as well as help the authorities recapture him faster since his picture would be seen on news sites, in newspapers and on television news.
Instead, the department only informed the public of the incident at a press conference on Friday afternoon, Sept. 20, after the escapee had been found and re-arrested.
Not only did the Office not inform the public, but, when a news organization asked them directly whether an inmate had escaped, they stated flatly and repeatedly that no inmate had escaped.
On Friday, Sept. 20, Diaz-Gomez was located in Winston-Salem and now he’s back in custody at the Guilford County Detention Center in Greensboro under no bond until his first appearance hearing on Monday, Sept. 23 at 2 p.m.
WXII pressed the Sheriff’s Office spokesperson on why the Office denied that an inmate had escaped.
They got the following response: “This was an active investigation. There are times when releasing information might compromise an investigation and apprehension.”
That statement does not seem to make much sense because there is no clarity on how informing the public that a man charged with a violent crime had escaped would hinder his apprehension. It would certainly help, rather than hinder, his capture.
Even if that statement from the Sheriff’s Office were true, the Office should never lie to the public or the media. It is crucial that the public always be able to trust the statements coming from law enforcement.
If the Sheriff’s Office does not wish to reveal some information, there are plenty of ways to respond besides directly lying about it. They may, for instance, simply not respond to calls and emails, or they may explain that they cannot offer an answer at the present time.
WELL SAID!!!
It’s comforting to know Sheriff Danny Rogers and his chosen employees have enhanced security at home nightly, aware of the fugitive at large, yet keeping it under wraps. Having family in Guilford and Forsyth County, I deem this shameful and believe it’s time for his resignation.
Thank you so much for the news article. Unlike the Sheriff’s Department we can count on the Rhino.
The dynamic duo of Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers and Guilford County District Attorney Avery Crump strike again! What a disgrace these two have become to Guilford County in their repeated failures to protect the safety of our law abiding citizens! Incompetent and ineffective these two are!
Need a new sheriff
* WXII (Ch. 12) is the BEST local TV team of journalists by far. WGHP (8) and WFMY (2) are just pathetic Leftist shills.
* The Sheriff’s office has been caught unambiguously lying. A fish rots from the head down.
* Mr Diaz-Gomez… just another “Kamala Criminal”.
Skip – what the excuse this time?
What a surprise, NOT.
Cowboy wannabe Danny allowed an illegal alien violent criminal (redundant), to escape custody and did not inform the public of the escape. To compound the mistake, he LIED to puppet parrot press about the escape. Only by good fortune was the criminal captured. And rest assured, we would STILL not know about the escape without cowboy Danny lying to WXII. While that station has no problem with illegal invaders and in fact supports the invasion they really take offense when lied to by public officials.
Rogers too busy buying cowboy hats and matching vests.
We need a new Sheriff
And yet, he is still there. What is it going to take before something is done. Require last 4 year mandatory overtime, massively short officers (and even that is an understatement) threats of being fire if one word is said, no hands on inmates. One officer covering 2-3 housing units during 12 hour shifts. These officers are beyond exhausted, mentally and physical. Deputies shorthanded in the courthouse and on the road. Deputies being misused to guard the sheriff instead of the citizens night and day. They are also massively exhausted. Yet Danny has all the time during duty hours to hangout at the cirgar and whiskey lounge. Smoking and drinking in uniform. Yet nothing is being done. Stop all the cover-up. And yes there is plenty of that going on. Time to get our men an women of GCSO the help they need. Let’s hold the sheriff accountable for the missuse of funds. And why haven’t the FEDs been called in?
Yes CKR, cowboy wannabe Danny certainly has no fear of being accosted or assaulted by street level thugs or illegal aliens like the common hoi palloi. He has his cadre of chauffeurs to ride him around to fabulous social gatherings and immediate backup always available if he does actually need law enforcement assistance. Must be nice to be living the high life on the public dole.
Here’s an idea why not stencil a bar code across their forehead with permanent marker. Identity problem solved
Like hospitals, put a optically readable ID bracelet on inmates’ arms; unauthorized removal would incurr a misdemeanor charge of destroying government property.
Any prisoner movement would be tracked as well as a headcount each evening.
Not notifying the public of the escape of a violent offender is totally unacceptable, compounded by the fact that the turnkeys didn’t miss the prisoner for two days. I won’t speak to democrats and their general incompetence ( sorry Chris, I had to say it….) but the citizens have a direct voice in who the sheriff is; unlike the police which are hired, trained and deployed through the auspices of bureaucrat, the sheriff is directly elected by the citizenry. I would encourage the citizenry to .. choose wisely.
There were numerous jail escapes and accidental releases under BJ Barnes watch. Have you forgotten about that?
Maybe so but BJ never lied to the press or FAILED to inform the public for a week. He also never had his personal sheriff’s car stolen and he never had a personal driver. Have you FORGOTTEN that. And he could legally carry a gun
I can say that I covered BJ for 20 years and he never once lied to me about anything. In fact, he would always answer any question I asked and if he could not for law enforcement reasons, then he would tell me that
Did the sheriff lie about it? That’s the issue.
But did BJ lie about it?
Well hell BJ Barnes was in there for what 30 some odd years or more there’s a reason why he was in there that long cuz he did a damn good job
Lying and withholding information is just too prevalent in Guilford County, particularly Greensboro. From personal experience, this sheriff has been an embarrassment from day one. That said, I’m sure he’ll never know the consequences of his inactions since no one wants to be associated with such behavior. Shame on the lyin’ sheriff’s office.
A once great agency lies in ruins, now ran by incompetent fools.
I worked there many years under both Barnes & Rogers. They have had equipment and policy in place requiring matching fingerprints and photographs upon release for several years now. Wirh all the checks & balances in place an incident like this requires several people to be lax in their duties. This is not unexpected, it is the culmination of good people leaving and being replaced by dimwits. The jails have great, well qualified administrators sans a couple of charity picks. The quality of the staff they have been given to work with has been steadily declining for several years now. It has gotten exponentially worse in the past 5 years. They need a constant reminder from the citizens and county officials that the Sheriff’s Office is not a rodeo, it’s not the highway patrol, it’s not the DEA, it’s not the police department or gang enforcement, nor a social justice sounding board. It is however REQUIRED to manage the jails, serve civil processes & provide courtroom security. Until the idiots at the top put a stop all the stuff that’s just for show or to fluff people’s egos and prioritize putting qualified resources in those areas that the state requires, the department will keep spiraling the drain. Wake up folks! Rome took nearly twelve hundred years to build, yet burned in just nine days. This is the same thing you have going on at the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office today. Demand better, demand a change. No amount of money can fix poor leadership.
Isn’t the Guilford County sheriff a convicted felon?
Yeap! He can’t legally carry a gun and by NC law, isn’t even supposed to be around anyone who is carrying. But of course he can break the law and get by with it but no one else can. He should never have gotten that job and it’s time to get rid of his sorry racist butt!
The Republican party in Guilford County need to stop running tired, old former sheriff deputies and start thinking outside the box. They will never defeat Rogers with the old white guys who keep running against him. They cannot get east side votes with the same type of candidates.
So they need to trade in Danny Rogers for Fred Williamson or Cleavon Little? Sorry folks, only those of us over 45 will understand the reference.
“Black man in a white man’s town. He’s got trouble. Get in his way, he’s gonna cut you down. Takin’ over. He can ride. He can shoot. Don’t take nothin’ from nobody. Oh, he’s black, bad, scared of nothing, yeah! He’s so bad. They call him boss; he’s the boss; boss…” -Terrible Tom (1974)
No excuse for lying and minimizing the danger to the public. Embarrassment is not an excuse.
Geez.News2 reported this morning that ANOTHER County jail inmate was allowed to go about his merry way last week as well!
Apparently cowboy wannabe Danny has decided that mass release of prisoners is preferable over actually DOING HIS JOB!!
Danny Rogers is the laughing stock of NC!! All pf the other sheriff’s laugh about how incompetent he is. He’s extremely racist against white people. He’s a convicted felon who can’t carry a gun and is not even supposed to be around anyone carrying. So his driver having a loaded weapon in the car with him is illegal. But yet he gets by with it. No other felon in North Carolina can get by with that! Why the people who are convicted felons don’t fight against that and Sue the state is beyond me. That is a violation of North Carolina law. Yet he does it. And he laughs about it. Without a doubt he carries a gun or has one in his home and we all know it. He’s a joke. He’s a clown. It’s time to get him out of office. We have lost so many good officers because of his leadership being less than it should be. Guilford County is very short of officers. Sheriff and PD. Danny Rogers walks around this town like he owns it. He does not. He works for the people and it’s time somebody made him realize that. The feds and internal affairs and the Justice department all need to investigate him!