THOUSAND OAKS : ‘Jailbirds’ Raise Funds for Charity

Not every prisoner goes to jail in a limo. But the 84 people jailed Thursday for charity were the exceptions.

Finding an entertaining way to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Assn., Conejo Valley business men and women were thrown into the lockup and each had to pay $500 “bail” to get out.

The lockup had a 1920 flapper and gangster motif. Limousines were sent to pick up the “jailbirds,” each dressed in costume.

“It kinda hit a sympathetic chord,” said John Rutherford, a Thousand Oaks YMCA worker and jailbird. “I’ve had some relatives that have been affected by MDA, so I started raising money.”

Another jailbird, J. Timothy Kern of the Conejo Valley Chiropractic Life Center, said, “It was worth it, about an hour of my time. It was worth it.”

With $500 from each jailbird, organizers expected to receive $42,000 from the event. The proceeds will go toward operation of a $143,000 research project at the University of California, Santa Barbara.