A woman tried to escape from jail guards using baby powder, cocoa butter and lots of socks, deputies said.
Anita Rachel Thomas, 20, was able to wriggle out of leg irons because she was wearing six pairs of socks, authorities said. She used cocoa butter as a lubricant to slide the leg irons and handcuffs from around her ankles and wrists, officials said.
Thomas, freed from restraints in a jail transport van outside Las Cruces Magistrate Court on Tuesday, threw baby powder at an officer, pushed him out of the way and tried to run past him, Dona Ana County sheriff’s officers said.
She made it about two feet past the officer when he grabbed her, they said.
She struggled, but stopped when his partner drew his pistol and demanded she show him both her hands, authorities said. She then was put back in leg irons and handcuffs.
A grand jury will be presented Thursday with charges of battery against a peace officer and attempted escape against Thomas, said Bo Nevarez, Dona Ana County sheriff’s investigator.
Nevarez said he did not know what charges she originally faced. A jail spokesman could not immediately be reached Wednesday for comment and it was not clear whether Thomas had an attorney.