Good Samaritan Was Just Too Darned Good

Bobbie Lynn Beal’s escape plan depended on finding a sympathetic and helpful motorist, according to Orange County sheriff’s deputies. It went wrong Monday when the motorist turned out to be entirely too helpful.

Beal, 21, a prisoner at the county honor farm in El Toro, was one of nine women on a work gang cleaning up El Toro Park at Jeronimo Road and Los Alisos Boulevard on Monday morning, authorities said. About 11:35 a.m. she bolted, running northwest on Jeronimo away from the park, Sheriff’s Department Lt. Bob Rivas said.

Once out of sight of the work gang, Beal took off her blouse and, dressed in jail jeans, tennis shoes and a bra, flagged down a passing motorist, Rivas said.

Beal told the woman in the car that she had been attacked by a man and asked the woman for a ride home so she could change clothes and report the attack. The woman agreed to help out, Rivas said.

According to Rivas, the woman took Beal into her car and began to drive off when she encountered what she thought was a stroke of good luck for Beal: a sheriff’s patrol car driving by in response to the report of the escape.

The woman leaped out of her car and flagged down the deputy, who recognized Beal’s clothing as standard jail issue, Rivas said.

Beal, who was serving time for “a lot of minor violations” and was scheduled for release in November, was taken to Orange County Jail, where charges of attempted escape were to be added to the list, Rivas said.