Rancho Fugitive Leaves Broad Trail : Jailbreak Manhunt Proves Child’s Play

It didn’t take authorities long to come up with a suspect Thursday when they investigated a break-in at a cabin near Castaic.

Next to a ransacked closet, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies found discarded clothing labeled “LA County Jail.”

Outside the cabin, they found footprints. On a nearby hill, more footprints led to jail escapee Paul Nicholson, deputies said.

Authorities said Nicholson, 22, of Little Rock, had walked away from the minimum-security Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho several hours before the burglary was discovered at an employee’s cabin at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power station at 36900 San Francisquito Canyon Road.

Burglary Sentence

Nicholson began serving a nine-month term for burglary and drunk driving Monday, Sheriff’s Sgt. Walter Thompson said. Deputies said he apparently climbed a jail fence shortly before dawn Thursday.

Deputy Patrick Rissler said he found the jail clothing inside the ransacked cabin when he was called to investigate a report of a stranger wandering around the power station. He said he began searching the hills around the cabin after remembering a sheriff’s radio broadcast about the escape.

A police dog, Rocky, followed the scent along the track of footprints and soon found Nicholson “just sort of lying down, like he was resting,” the deputy said.

Near Nicholson was about $1,200 in camera equipment and other property taken from the cabin, Rissler said.

Nicholson was arrested on suspicion of escape and burglary and was being held without bail at the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff’s substation, Rissler said.