BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- A Lerdo Jail inmate has been found after he knocked on the door of a north county home and asked for a ride early Monday morning.
Deputies said the homeowner reported the inmate just before 5 a.m. after he saw the man dressed in jail clothes. The man refused to give the inmate a ride and officials said the inmate simply walked away.
After the call, the sheriff's office did an emergency inmate count and found that one inmate was missing from the Lerdo Minimum Facility. The inmate -- identified as Robert Ortiz, 31, of Bakersfield -- had been working in the Lerdo kitchen at the time of the escape.
About an hour after the first contact, a second person then reported seeing an inmate in a farm field near Highway 99 and Lerdo Highway. Deputies said they briefly chased Ortiz on foot before arresting him just before 6 a.m.
Ortiz was serving five years for receiving stolen property. He now faces additional charges for escaping.
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http://www.turnto23.com/news/3112176...tml?hpt=ju_bn6

A 31-year-old man escaped from Lerdo Jail early Monday, but was caught by authorities shortly after he asked a nearby resident for a ride, Kern County Sheriff's Office reported.

Robert Ortiz of Bakersfield escaped before 5 a.m. while working in the kitchen at Lerdo minimum security jail. Authorities were alerted of the escape after a resident living near the jail reported that a man in jail clothes had knocked on his door and asked for a ride. The resident refused, and Ortiz left.

Sheriff's officials conducted an emergency inmate count and determined one was missing. They then established a perimeter.

Another resident reported a possible escaped inmate in a farm near Highway 99 and Lerdo Highway. After a brief pursuit, deputies took the suspect into custody just before 6 a.m.

Ortiz's escape is under investigation.
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http://www.bakersfield.com/blogs/bre...ent-for-a-lift