Man accused of locking a woman in a cinder block cell in southern Oregon tries to break out of jail

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — The suspect being held at the Jackson County Jail for locking a woman in a homemade cinder block cell in the garage of his southern Oregon home tried to break out of his own cell window, jail officials said.

Negasi Zuberi, 29, now faces additional charges of second-degree attempted escape and first-degree disorderly conduct for the incident that happened Tuesday afternoon.

According to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, a maintenance worker heard a suspicious noise coming from one of the cells at about 12:45 p.m.

Jail deputies later found Zuberi standing on his bunk, and his window was chipped. They searched his cell and found an “improvised tool.”

He’s since been moved to a holding cell with no exterior windows.

Zuberi was arrested last month on charges of interstate kidnapping and transporting an individual across state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. He’s pleaded not guilty.

Investigators say he posed as an undercover police officer, kidnapped a woman in Seattle, and drove her to his home in Klamath Falls on July 15. He locked her in a cinder block cell in his garage, but she managed to break the door to escape.

After her escape, Zuberi fled the state. He was arrested in Reno, Nevada the following day.

The FBI said it was looking for additional victims after linking him to violent sexual assaults in other states.

Zuberi's trial is set to start in mid-October.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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