Local News in Brief : County : 2 Who Escape Custody Find Freedom Fleeting

Two men in custody on criminal charges escaped Thursday in separate areas of the county but were recaptured a short time later by sheriff’s deputies.

Aurelio Salas, 36, and Dewayne Allen, 22, were both taken to County Jail in downtown Santa Ana on Thursday night, and face additional charges following their brief bolt for freedom, Sheriff’s Lt. Richard J. Olson said.

Salas was being held at James A. Musick jail facility in El Toro, awaiting trial on charges of receiving stolen property. About 6:15 a.m., a nearby resident spotted Salas walking along Lake Forest Drive and called authorities. When deputies arrived and confronted Salas, Olson said he tried to run, but then surrendered without incident. He said Salas apparently walked away from the minimum-security facility while other inmates were going to breakfast.

Allen had just been brought from the jail to the courthouse in Santa Ana, when he managed to escape, Olson said. A courthouse employee arriving for work about 7 a.m. saw Allen running away wearing only a T-shirt and underwear, his yellow jail jumper rolled up under one arm.

Santa Ana police and sheriff’s deputies began searching the neighborhoods southwest of the courthouse. A telephone tip led authorities to the 1900 block of Mark Street, where Allen was found hiding on the roof of a house about a mile from the courthouse, Olson said.

At the time of his capture, Allen still was wearing the handcuffs placed on his wrists for the trip to the courthouse. Allen was in jail awaiting trial on theft charges, Olson said.