5 inmates tried to escape Central Coast jail. But they didn’t get far

Five inmates were thwarted Monday night when they attempted to escape from the Main Jail near Santa Barbara, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

At about 8:45 p.m., custody deputies observed the inmates in an unauthorized area, said Raquel Zick, Sheriff’s Office public information officer.

“This incident occurred during a group movement as part of a routine linen exchange,” Zick added.

A lockdown of the jail was initiated while patrol deputies responded to the exterior of the jail to assist.

“The involved inmates were quickly located within the jail facility, where they had defeated one layer of security, with several layers of security remaining between them and the public,” Zick said.

The inmates were secured and rehoused, and detectives were continuing to investigate the attempted jail break.

The names of the inmates involved were not released due to the ongoing investigation.