Three escaped jail detainees were described as “very dangerous,” and the public was warned to “presume they are armed” by the Orange County sheriff today.
And the men had tools that had been smuggled into the main county jail in Santa Ana, said
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens at a morning news conference.
The men cut through three sets of bars on Friday, and went down three floors of sheets, possibly after having organized a fracas inside to distract jailers, deputies have said. But at a morning news conference, the sheriff said a timeline detailing events Friday was still being prepared..
“They had some tools. Where they got those tools and how they got them, we do not know that,” she said.
The FBI and U.S. Marshall’s Office today posted rewards totaling $50,000 for information leading to the capture of the three men, who were awaiting trial on charges ranging from murder to attempted murder to torture.
Hossein Nayeri, 37, of Newport Beach, faced charges of kidnapping and torture for the abduction of a marijuana clinic owner. The man was driven to the desert and a blowtorch was alleged to have been used by Nayeri, deputies said, to sever the man’s penis.
Nayeri fled the U.S. and was arrested in Prague, the Czech Republic, then returned to Santa Ana to await trial.
Jonathan Tieu, 20, of Fountain Valley, faced a murder charge in connection with a gang hit, prosecutors said.
And Bac Duong, 43, of Santa Ana, faced an attempted murder charge and was being held without bail on an immigration hold, pending a possible federal deportation hearing.
The inmates last were seen at a physical body count that took place 5 a.m. Friday at the Men’s Central Jail complex, but they were not discovered to be missing until the day’s second and final body count at 9 p.m.
Routinely taking a census during the day is not possible because detainees are out of the jail to be in court or on medical checks, Hutchens said at a morning news conference today.
“We have had a number of very good tips that have got us on a good path, but as for actual sightings of these individuals, we have not (had any),” she said.
“We continue to have three escapees who are very dangerous and I want to tell the public presume they are armed,” Hutchens said.
The men may have used a squabble inside the lockup as cover as the evening body count approached at 8 p.m. Friday.
The men escaped from a dormitory-style “tank” housing about 60 inmates. The jail complex — which dates to the late 1960s and lacks some in- house services that are features of more modern jails and prisons — consists of three facilities housing about 900 inmates.
The entire complex is maximum security. There have been two prior escapes from the jail, both over 20 years ago.
The escapees cut through 1/2-inch steel bars and plumbing channels to make their way to an unsecured portion of the jail’s roof before using a makeshift cloth rope to rappel to the ground. They fled on foot.
It’s unclear whether they had any help from the outside or if other inmates were involved in the escape, the sheriff repeated today.
