Escapee runs out of luck in Vegas

Law enforcement in Las Vegas caught an escapee from the Island County jail work crew Wednesday night.

Calvin Kaestner, a 52-year-old Camano Island resident, is headed back to the county jail through the interstate transport chain. He’ll face a felony escape charge when he returns to Coupeville.

Kaestner ambled off from a jail work crew that was cleaning up at the county’s Rhododendron Park near Coupeville June 23. Deputies and a search dog group scoured the area for the escapee, but couldn’t find any sign of him.

Kaestner wasn’t considered a dangerous fugitive. He was convicted of first-degree theft for running a bogus car dealership in Oak Harbor and selling a car on consignment, but not giving the owner the correct share of the profits.

Kaestner, who has a long history of bail jumping, only had five weeks left of his sentence when he escaped. When he returns, Kaestner faces some serious time behind bars.

Jan Smith, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, said a neighbor of Rhododendron Park found buried orange jail garb and glasses. The resident made the discovery a couple of weeks ago.

Smith said it makes sense that Kaestner would change his clothes.

“The bright orange clothes can be a little noticeable,” she said.

Also, the discovery of the clothes suggests that someone helped him make his great escape.

Yet for now, detectives aren’t certain how Kaestner managed to walk away from the work crew and make it all the way to Sin City. And they won’t know how Las Vegas police caught up with him until he arrives with the paperwork.

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