Glenn, Colusa County Authorities Locate Inmate Who Escaped Custody During Hospitalization
A Glenn County inmate who was hospitalized for a medical emergency and escaped the hospital before deputies could transport her back to jail has reportedly been located and taken back into custody. A second individual has also been arrested for allegedly harboring a fugitive.
According to a press release by the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office, 34-year-old Brittany Glass, who had been in custody at Glenn County Jail since September 19 on charges including violation of probation, failure to appear on a possession of stolen property charge, and misdemeanor drug offenses, experienced a medical emergency due to a preexisting condition.
On September 21, she was transferred to Glenn Medical Center, where medical professionals determined that she required hospitalization. Glenn Medical Center lacked the necessary bed space and arranged her admission to Colusa Regional Hospital.
Glass, whom the Sheriff’s Office described as as a non-violent, low-level offender, remained under medical care at Colusa Regional Hospital until deemed fit for return to the Glenn County jail. Due to severe staffing shortages at the jail and Sheriff’s Office, there were no personnel available to accompany her during her recovery. Instead, it was agreed that medical staff would notify the jail once Glass was fit for transfer.
On September 25, Colusa Regional Hospital alerted the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office that Glass was ready to return to the jail. However, before deputies could arrive, Glass left the hospital and absconded from custody. A joint effort by the Colusa County Sheriff’s Office and Glenn County Sheriff’s Office to locate her in the vicinity of Colusa Regional Hospital proved unsuccessful.
The next evening, September 26, the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous tip regarding Glass’s whereabouts on County Road D, a rural area in Glenn County. Sheriff’s deputies, along with the California Highway Patrol, responded to the location and took Brittany Glass into custody without incident.
A second individual, identified as Joseph Anthony Ortega, was arrested for allegedly harboring a fugitive. Both Glass and Ortega were transported and booked into the Glenn County jail.
