Los Angeles Times

Escape blamed on lax security

- By Ari Bloomekatz ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com

Officials say jail lapses at Twin Towers have been fixed.

A security lapse at the Twin Towers Correction­al Facility in downtown Los Angeles that helped allow an inmate to escape earlier this week has been corrected, sheriff ’s officials say.

The inmate, 37-year-old Christophe­r Lee Brown, remained at large Friday after he walked out of the inmate release area about 10 p.m. Wednesday. He had been sentenced earlier in the day to four years, eight months in jail after being convicted of burglary and identity theft.

Authoritie­s said they believe Brown impersonat­ed another inmate as part of his effort to escape. He was discovered missing during an inmate count that night.

“As a result of the inmate’s actions, and that it appears that mandated security practices may not have been followed, the in- mate was able to escape through the jail Inmate Reception Center release area door,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Capt. Mike Parker.

Without elaboratin­g on what those security practices were, Parker said in a statement that the apparent lapses had been identified and “immediatel­y remedied.”

Finding Brown may prove elusive. Authoritie­s say he lives a transient life- style with no known address. He also has multiple arrests for theft and an arrest and conviction for assault with a deadly weapon in the San Luis Obispo area nearly two decades ago.

In 2007, he was also arrested for assault in the Santa Barbara area.

Anyone who sees Brown or knows his whereabout­s is urged to contact authoritie­s.

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