Police search for jail escapee

Authorities on Thursday continued to search for a former Newport Beach resident who escaped an Orange County jail through a broken window.

William Scott Woodin, 39, who last lived in Tucson, Ariz., broke out of the Theo Lacy Facility on Wednesday by pushing a bench up against a broken window while he was on a work detail in the jail’s kitchen, said Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino.

Woodin first came into custody Oct. 24, after Irvine police arrested him the day before on suspicion of stealing a watch from Nordstrom, Amormino said. Woodin was sentenced to 290 days of jail.

Woodin received work detail because he is a non-violent criminal.

His jail clothes were found in a bush outside the jail, and a customer at a nearby Carl’s Jr. reported seeing Woodin fleeing the area, Amormino said.

Authorities using bloodhounds tracked Woodin to Trask Avenue and Newhope Street, about four miles away. They believe he may have gotten a ride there.

As recently as 2009, Woodin was a Newport Beach resident but most recently was a resident of Tucson.

The escape could add a year to his sentence.

— Lauren Williams

Twitter: @lawilliams30