Inmate Ordered Released Due to COVID-19 Concerns Removes Tracking Device, Escapes

An Orange County Sheriff's Department vehicle is parked at the Saddleback Station on Sept. 14, 2020. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

An Orange County inmate released early due to an ongoing American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawsuit escaped mandatory electronic monitoring by removing her device, police said Jan. 19.

The 28-year-old woman was released following a Dec. 11, 2020, court order from Judge Peter Wilson—who is overseeing a lawsuit from the ACLU—to release half of Orange County’s inmates due to the COVID-19 pandemic.