(SANTA ANA, Calif.) A felon who escaped jail through a storm drain in 2003 is on the run again in Southern California.
Authorities said Thursday that they have not located Mark Georgantas since he walked out of an Orange County courthouse during his grand theft trial on Tuesday.
Prosecutors say he asked to use the bathroom during trial and never came back. The judge issued a $1 million warrant and he was convicted of four counts of felony grand theft for using stolen credit cards.
Deputy District Attorney Doug Brannan says he was not in custody because his bail had been reduced from $1 million to $50,000.
His escape comes six years after he and another inmate escaped from an Irvine jail. Georgantas was serving a one-year sentence for conspiracy to defraud, grand theft and violating probation.
