Never Flee From Authorities Without Your Very Own Flack at the Ready

In L.A., everyone has a publicist, even escaped cons.

That includes Kevin Pullum, the man who is accused of walking away from L.A. County Jail with a fake ID showing actor Eddie Murphy in “Dr. Dolittle 2.”

Most county jail inmates have their press calls handled by a single prominent outfit--the Sheriff’s Information Bureau. But Pullum has additional help.

The Times received a letter from a Woodland Hills public relations company that was headlined “Invitation to Cover.” It welcomed the press to attend a hearing for Pullum on the escape charge and said any queries on his status should be directed to the firm, Fisher & Associates (which was hired by Pullum’s attorney, Dermot Givens).

The letter also said that Fisher’s PR reps would be “available for comment after” the hearing.

Can the movie be far behind?

L.A.’s newest star (cont.): Pullum, however, may lose his publicist soon. Givens will remain his attorney of record until a Sept. 6 hearing. But the Eddie Murphy imitator has been granted a motion to act as his own attorney on the escape charges. Funny, I remember Eddie Murphy playing a doctor, an ambassador and an investment banker, but not a lawyer.

Unclear on the concept? Ron Burton of Sunland sent along a treatment tip that might not sit well with some customers (see accompanying).

Dog daze: The Unknown Photographer sent me a shot of a curiously worded sign in a San Juan Capistrano park (see photo). Is it saying that no breed of dog is OK?

Let’s hope there are no dogs in here! Visiting the state of Washington, Martin Shandling of West L.A. noticed a sign that might raise questions about the type of meat served (see photo).

Street negotiations: A Santa Monica resident walking down the street felt someone tugging at her and turned to see a bicyclist, who demanded her purse. She offered to give the assailant $20 if he would let her keep the purse, the Argonaut newspaper reported. He agreed and took the money.

Quick thinking on her part. Luckily she was dealing with a character with such small dreams. She probably could have gotten off for $10.

Living up to its name: Ken Higman noticed that an Internet-based business with offices in Southern California had three members of its board of directors resign. But was it such a surprise? The name of the company was Exodus Communications.

Getting to the point: A colleague thought he had an interview set up with a movie executive, only to be told by a studio underling:

“I forgot. This is his day to undergo acupuncture.”

Give me a C, an H, an E, an A, a T . . . : The revelation that USC was being penalized because three athletes had term papers written by tutors is sure to revive this old joke about the school:

Q. How many USC athletes does it take to change a lightbulb?

A. Twenty (one to screw in the bulb and everyone to get class credit for it).

miscelLAny: I’m turning out the lights myself and going on vacation for a week.