Kern County Deputy Escapes Custody After 2nd Arrest

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) - A Kern County sheriff's deputy arrested over the weekend for allegedly brandishing a gun at a 12-year-old girl was arrested for a second time and promptly escaped custody.

Sheriff's spokesman Ray Pruitt says a manhunt was launched Tuesday night after Edward Tucker escaped from a deputy's cruiser and ran from an underground parking garage at a jail receiving facility.

The 44-year-old had been released from jail earlier in the day. He faces charges including being under the influence of a controlled substance, DUI and child cruelty stemming from the Saturday arrest.

Pruitt says when Tucker was arrested Tuesday deputies found drugs, firearms and possible bomb-making materials in his car.

Tucker, an 18-year department veteran, has been on leave for a year but details weren't released.