Inmate escapes jail, but needs rescuing after falling down hill

  

(1/27/06 - OLYMPIA, WA) -- Lance H. Gauthun had barely escaped from the Thurston County jail before he was hollering for help and back behind bars.

Authorities heard the cries of Gauthun, 20, and a police officer pulled him to safety after he ran or fell down a steep embankment behind the jail late Tuesday and found himself stuck with temperatures in the low 30s, sheriff's deputy Daniel D. Kimball said.

"They actually rescued the escapee from himself," Kimball said Wednesday.

He said Gauthun, who had served more than half of a 20-day sentence for theft of about $150 worth of copper tubing, slipped out a fire exit about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday in the minimum-security jail annex, which houses mostly inmates on work release or assigned to work crews.

Hostility between Gauthun and other inmates may have led to the short-lived getaway, corrections Capt. Todd Thoma said.

Gauthun has been rebooked for investigation of second-degree escape, punishable by one to three months behind bars for a first-time conviction.

"He's in the big boys' jail now," Kimball added.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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