Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s K9 catches escaped inmate

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A sheriff's dog was able to catch an inmate who briefly escaped from the Santa Barbara County Main Jail on Tuesday evening, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.

Nicholas Erickson, 26 of Santa Barbara, was originally booked at the jail on June 18 for multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, but made a quick break and briefly escaped the jail on Tuesday around 6:50 p.m., according to sheriff's spokeswoman Raquel Zick.

Custody deputies immediately locked down the jail and sent out crews, including two K9 teams, and help County Air Support Units, to set up a perimeter and search the area.

While crews were searching, a resident of the 4600 block of Sierra Madre reported seeing a suspicious subject in the area, Zick said.

As deputies on the ground closed in on the area, an air support unit tracked Erickson as he made his way through the brush towards Oak Glen Drive.

Deputy Phillip Farley and his K9, Odin, found Erickson, who then failed to surrender and comply with verbal demands and continued to flee.

Odin fell from an 8-10 foot drop onto a sidewalk before he was able to catch Erickson on the 4500 block of Oak Glen Drive, Zick said.

The escapee was re-arrested at 8:20 p.m. and re-booked at the jail with additional charges.

His bail went from $150,000 before the escape to $200,000 after, according to Zick.

Odin was treated for a leg injury at a local veterinary hospital and is expected to recover.

Custody staff are conducting a "thorough and ongoing internal investigation" into the escape, and the method of escape is not available.