Newport Beach : Rookie Police Dog Helps Catch Escape Suspect

A rookie police dog helped capture a Santa Ana Heights man Friday, two hours after the man escaped from custody into a marshy bog behind Harbor Municipal Court, police said.

William Joseph Federico, 25, was being transferred by police to a marshal’s holding area at the courthouse at 4601 Jamboree Road when he allegedly jumped a fence at about 10 a.m. and fled, said Newport Beach Sgt. Richard Long.

Scheduled to appear in court on charges of resisting arrest and outstanding warrants, Federico was last seen running in the direction of thick marsh in a wildlife preserve next to the UC Irvine campus, Long said.

Police officers from Irvine and Newport Beach surrounded the marsh across Jamboree from the court. But even with the aid of the Newport Beach police helicopter, the 15 officers could not find Federico.

Newport Beach Officer Tom Voth and his dog, Hondo, were dispatched to the thicket, and the dog finally found Federico lying in the mud, hiding among tall reeds.

Hondo, who has been on the force just a month, did not bite the suspect, Long said, but Federico was severely bitten by mosquitoes, he said.

Federico was taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, where he was treated for the bites, then booked at Orange County Jail on felony escape charges and misdemeanor battery on a police officer and obstructing a police officer, Long said.