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Orange County Sheriff’s deputies foil attempted jail escape

March 1, 2023

An Orange County inmate who tried to break out of jail was stopped before he could escape, deputies say.

Michael Johannes Palko, 31, was in custody at the Central Men’s Jail facility in Santa Ana, where he was booked for robbery in May 2021.

Palko had taken civilian clothes from the jail and attempted to exit through a “control area” near the front of the jail where employees enter the facility at around 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28, according to Orange County Sheriff’s Department representative Carrie Braun.

It is unclear where Palko got the clothes from or how close he was to exiting the facility.

Deputies recognized Palko and returned him to his cell. No one was injured, and it is believed at this time that Palko was acting alone. All inmates were accounted for after a complete search of the facility.

RELATED COVERAGE: Inmate who escaped from Orange County jail sentenced to 20 years in prison

The last time inmates managed to escape from the Santa Ana facility was in January 2016, when three inmates got away by climbing through plumbing pipes.

An investigation into the attempted escape by the department’s Custody Intelligence Unit is ongoing.

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Orange County Register