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Mich. sheriff: Inmate escaped by switching ID

34-year-old Rocky Marquez walked out of the county jail after being charged 5 days earlier as a felon in possession of a firearm

Traverse City Record-Eagle

DETROIT — A manhunt is under way for a federal prisoner who switched identities with another inmate to escape from a Michigan jail.

The U.S. marshal’s office says 34-year-old Rocky Marquez walked out of the Wayne County jail on Jan. 20. He had been awaiting extradition to Arizona to face numerous charges.

Wayne County sheriff’s spokeswoman Paula Bridges says officials realized Marquez was missing on Friday.

Marquez was arrested Jan. 15 by the Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team. An AK-47 assault rifle was confiscated. He was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm in Detroit federal court.

A statement from the marshal’s office says “Marquez should be considered armed and dangerous.”

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