LAKE COUNTY — An escape attempt from the Lake County Jail Thursday night was halted within minutes by some very observant sheriff”s deputies and an off-duty Ukiah police officer who were fortunately in the right place at the right time, according to Captain James Bauman, Public Information Officer for Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO).
At about 8 p.m. an on-duty patrol deputy and an off-duty deputy, who had just completed an arrest and control training class, were talking outside of the jail when one of them spotted a man in denim jail clothing running up an embankment from the facility towards Highway 29. The fleeing inmate, identified as Mitchell Lewis, 54, of Lower Lake, turned and looked at the deputies, but continued running the approximate 50-yard distance to the freeway, ignoring orders over a patrol car PA system to stop.
The off-duty deputy immediately pursued Lewis on foot while the uniformed deputy raced to get on the freeway in his patrol car and intercept the running inmate. Lewis continually ignored commands to stop as the off-duty deputy chased him onto the freeway and eventually caught up with him in the center median near the Hill Road overpass. As the off-duty deputy struggled to subdue Lewis on the ground, an off-duty Ukiah police officer who happened to be traveling on Highway 29 stopped and assisted to restrain the escapee until the uniformed deputy arrived with handcuffs to complete the arrest. Lewis was returned to the facility without further incident.
Lewis had been in custody since November and was scheduled for sentencing Friday on charges of felon in possession of ammunition and resisting arrest. He later told deputies that he expected to be sentenced for an extended term Friday and tried to escape in order to see his elderly parents before going to prison.
A plastic bag containing additional jail clothing and other items was recovered from the shoulder of the freeway near the area of his arrest. He was classified as minimum security and was therefore housed in a minimum security dorm at the jail. He will now face felony escape charges, as well another misdemeanor resisting arrest charge.
