O.C. deputies foil attempted escape

handcuffs
Photo credit Getty Images

SANTA ANA (CNS)- An Orange County jail inmate attempted to escape from the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana today, but quick-thinking deputies foiled the plan, authorities said.

Michael Johannes Palko, 31, was dressed in civilian clothes in what's called a "control area" of the jail, where visitors enter and exit, at about 6 or 7 a.m. Tuesday, said Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Palko was originally arrested in May 2021 and booked on suspicion of a robbery in San Clemente, Braun said.

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Deputies recognized the inmate, however, and took him back into custody where he was being housed, Braun said.

Deputies conducted a full count of inmates at the Men's Central Jail and the Intake Release Center and everyone was accounted for, Braun added.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Getty Images