Homeless Man Receives $100K Check For Information That Led To Capture Of OC Inmates

SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — A $100,000 reward for information leading to the capture three inmates who escaped from Orange County Central Men's Jail was delivered Thursday to the homeless San Francisco man who first tipped off authorities.

Supervisor Todd Spitzer personally delivered the check to Matthew Hay-Chapman in Northern California Thursday.

"Matthew Hay-Chapman described to me that he felt it was his 'duty' to report the escapees," Spitzer said. "His brave actions were a reflection of his character and I hope the reward will help him out."

Hossein Nayeri, 37, Jonathan Tieu, 20, and Bac Duong, 43, who were all being held for violent crimes, went missing from the jail on Jan. 23 in what was called the first escape from the facility in at least the past 20 years.

The reward for information leading to their capture was initially $50,000 offered by the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service. The Orange County Board of Supervisors raised the reward to $200,000 three days after the inmates were first reported missing.

Besides Hay-Chapman, rewards were also issued to Armando Damian, who received $20,000, and Hazel Javier and Jeffrey Aranda, who received $15,000 each.