Man Arrested After Son’s Jailbreak

The father of an escaped inmate was arrested Saturday afternoon on suspicion of being an accessory to his son’s jailbreak earlier this week, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies.

Rex Wayne Dobbins, 51, allegedly confessed to driving the getaway car when his son, Steven Dobbins, 26, of Lancaster escaped from a sheriff’s bus at the Antelope Valley Courthouse on Friday morning, said Lt. Art Valenzuela of the Antelope Valley sheriff’s station.

“He said his son is probably on his way to Mexico,” Valenzuela said.

The younger Dobbins, a convicted burglar who faced a possible 32-year sentence, somehow freed himself from his handcuffs, ran from the bus, then jumped a wall and got into a waiting car, deputies said. The car was abandoned after it crashed into a parked car in the 1100 block of West Norberry Street, deputies said.

Sheriff’s deputies searched the area with dogs for three hours without finding the younger Dobbins, authorities said.

The sheriff’s bus was bringing inmates to court from the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles when the prisoner escaped, deputies said. If convicted of the escape, Steven Dobbins will have three strikes against him, deputies said.

The escapee is 6 feet, 4 inches tall, has brown hair and green eyes and weighs 170 pounds, authorities said. The case is still under investigation.