Santee

A prisoner who was believed to have escaped from the Las Colinas Jail in Santee was discovered hiding in the jail greenhouse, the Sheriff’s Department said Monday.

Mary Gail Joubert, 18, was declared missing at 5:40 a.m. Sunday after a search of the jail and surrounding area. Tracking dogs and a sheriff’s helicopter were used in the search.

Joubert, being held on several theft-related charges, was discovered almost 13 hours later by deputies. Joubert told investigators she had eluded guards by hiding under a canvas tarp used to cover bags of fertilizer, according to a Sheriff’s Department statement.