Last Friday, jailers from the Orange County jail faced one of the worst possible scenarios at the night bed check. Three inmates were missing; Jonathan Tieu, 20, Bac Doung, 43, and Hossein Nayeri, 37. The first two are known to have ties with Vietnamese local gangs which are thought to be helping the three fugitives to avoid detection from authorities. Both Tieu and Doung have violent criminal records, including murder and firearms violations. Nayeri from Iran is accused of having kidnaped a marijuana dispenser owner and cutting off his penis with 2 other accomplices. Nayeri faces life in prison if convicted.
“We sincerely need input from the community to help us put these three dangerous individuals back into custody,” said Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Dave Sawyer.
The investigators are forced to think that the fugitives have not left the state because of the ties with local gangs. The names of the gangs that are allegedly helping the trio have not been disclosed.
Local authorities and the FBI have offered a monetary reward for information that leads to the capture of the fugitives.
“If you see one or more of them, immediately call 9-1-1. If you have information pertaining to their whereabouts, call our Hotline at 714-628-7085. Please share and continue to help us in bringing these fugitives back into custody,” as broadcasted last Sunday by the sheriff’s department.
“We are utilizing every resource available to ensure these inmates are brought back into custody as quickly as possible. As Sheriff, my utmost concern and primary responsibility is the safety of each Orange County resident,” Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said in a message to the community. She also added that many agencies are working together to bring the criminals back into custody including the FBI and the U.S. Marshals.
Theories of inside help are erupting caused by the sophistication of the escape. The inmates were being held in “area F” one floor below the jail’s roof and they had to cut through several metal barriers in order to get access to the roof, adding to this the fact that the tools required for such a feat are neither cheap or silent provides a perfect atmosphere for speculation.
“I’ve been in law enforcement for 37 years, always working for sheriff’s departments that manage jails. And escapes do occur from time to time,” Sheriff Sandra Hutchens told the Los Angeles Times. “We try and limit that. We learn from the mistakes. I can tell you that this is a very sophisticated-looking operation. People in jail have a lot of time to sit around and think about ways to defeat our systems.”
Merrick Bobb, who once oversaw reforms of the Los Angeles county jail system and current director of the police assessment resource center in L.A, made emphasis on possible negligence by the jail staff.
Source: LA Times