Orange County Sheriff's Department officials responded to the criticisms that the three inmates who escaped from a maximum-security prison in Santa Ana Friday were not housed securely. Spokesman Lieutenant Jeff Hallock said they are confident that the escaped inmates were appropriately housed in a maximum-security jail.
According to ABC News Hallock said the three, Jonathan Tieu, 20, Bac Duong, 43, and Hossein Nayeri, 37, were housed in an area with 68 other inmates and half of them were convicted with violent crimes. Deputy district attorney Heather Brown said that the Orange County Men's Central Jail need to look into its procedures. Brown said, "It's mind-boggling that he (Nayeri) was housed in a dorm with such low-level security."
ABC 7 wrote that the three inmates escaped the jail like it was a scene from the Shawshank Redemption. They cut through metal, crawled through tunnels, climbed on a roof, and rapelled four stories down using bedsheets as ropes. They were last seen in the jail 5am Friday. Their disappearance was noticed 16 hours later during a nightime count.
My News LA reported that the reward offered for anyone who can provide information for the capture of the escaped convict is now a total of $200,000. The FBI and the US Marshals Service have added $50,000 more to the existing $150,000.
Tieu is an infamous Vietnamese gang member who was charged with attempted murder, murder, and shooting at an inhabited dwelling. He is held under $1 million bail since October 2013. Meanwhile, Nayeri was charged with kidnapping, torture, and aggravated burglary. He was held without bond since September 2014. Duong was charged with attempted murder, shooting an inhabited dwelling, assault with a deadly weapon, being a felon with firearms, and other charges. He has been held since last month without bond.
The three pleaded not guilty to all their charges. According to authorities they will have additional one felony count of escape each.
