COSTA MESA : Bloodhound Tracks Youth Camp Escapee
Police, using a helicopter and bloodhounds, Thursday recaptured a Santa Ana youth who had stolen a car after escaping from a juvenile facility.
The 17-year-old abandoned the 1983 Toyota Corolla he was driving and fled when Costa Mesa Police Officer Steven Calles tried to stop him on Monte Vista Avenue.
Calles chased the juvenile, who ran for about 300 yards, then jumped over a six-foot fence, disappearing into a neighborhood of condominiums, Lt. Gary Webster said.
Reserve Officer Janie Walker led Mo, a 10-month old bloodhound, on the juvenile’s trail as a police helicopter circled above and officers surrounded a complex in the 2000 block of Rue de Cannes.
Webster said the bloodhound led police to a bush in the back yard of the complex, where the juvenile was found.
“He was totally concealed,” Webster said, adding that it was the dog’s first success since bloodhounds joined the department a year ago.
The juvenile, who was not identified because of his age, has been arrested on suspicion of auto theft.
Webster said police are trying to determine when and from which facility the juvenile escaped.
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