2 Wisconsin prison escapees recaptured in northern Illinois

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ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — Two prisoners who escaped from a maximum-security prison in Wisconsin have been recaptured in northern Illinois.

WREX-TV reports 37-year-old James Newman and 46-year-old Thomas Deering were taken into custody Friday in Rockford, about 90 miles south of the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin, that they fled on Thursday.

Rockford Police say both men arrived at a community center Friday morning. Staff at the center called police and the men were taken into custody.

Authorities say the pair escaped by climbing over two security fences. The escapees then went to a hotel and were taken by a cab to Poynette, Wisconsin. Investigators say the two already had left the Portage area before authorities were notified of their escape.

Online records show Deering was convicted of numerous charges in Milwaukee County including kidnapping, sexual assault and burglary. He was also convicted of battery by a prisoner in 2015 and an escape charge in 2002.

Newman has convictions for kidnapping, escape, theft and discharging a firearm.