LOCAL : OC Jail Guard Fired in 5 Escapes

A guard at Orange County Jail has been fired for failing to follow “procedures and policies” with the result that five inmates escaped Nov. 20, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. An investigation into the actions of five other guards continues.

Sheriff’s Lt. Dick Olson declined to identify the deputy, who had been with the department since 1986. Olson also declined to specify the grounds for the guard’s termination. His was the first investigation to be completed, Olson said.

All but one of the inmates who fled Nov. 20, 1988, have been caught. The inmates escaped by cutting a hole in a fence and lowering themselves from the roof of the four-story facility with a rope made of sheets.

Still at large is Michael Taylor, who had been arrested for robbery. He was identified by a jewelry store owner in Chicago three weeks ago as the armed robber who made off with $450,000 in gold and diamonds.