Escapee From Jail In Kent Caught -- Fugitive Found In California After Two Weeks On Run

Vanna Rann, a dangerous offender who broke out of King County's new jail in Kent, was arrested in Sacramento last night as he walked from a telephone booth toward a home where he had been holed up.

Though he was armed with an ice pick, the 17-year-old fugitive was taken into custody without a struggle about 9 p.m., King County Executive Ron Sims announced last night at a hurriedly called news conference.

On Sept. 9, Rann escaped from the Regional Justice Center jail in Kent with Kinnick Sanford, 27. Sanford was captured three days later by Los Angeles police after a car he was in ran a red light.

Sims said that late last week, a police task force determined from a telephone call that Rann was somewhere in the Sacramento area. "Law enforcement traced the call and isolated where he was calling from," said John Arthur Wilson, spokesman for Sims.

The search area was narrowed over the weekend, and a home was placed under surveillance. Sacramento police watched Rann last night as he walked to a telephone booth near a bus station.

When he had completed the call and was walking back to the home, officers moved in for the arrest. Sims would not say who Rann had called.

Sims said task-force members are convinced the man in custody in Sacramento is Rann because of a photograph and several tattoos, including one that says "Khmer." Rann is Cambodian.

Fingerprints being sent from Sacramento were expected to confirm the identification sometime today, Wilson said.

Rann had shaved his head, apparently to alter his appearance. Members of a street gang with which he has been linked also have been known to shave their heads.

Task-force members believe Rann and Sanford fled the Puget Sound area immediately after escaping from the jail in Kent. Sims said task-force members doubt that Rann and Sanford committed any crimes after commandeering a car from a couple at a Kent service station.

That car was abandoned and later recovered by police. Sims said the fugitives obtained another vehicle and traveled together to California.

Sims said that when arrested, Rann was armed with the ice pick and Sanford was armed with a handgun. That could result in additional charges against both.

It was not known why Rann went to Sacramento or whether he has relatives or gang acquaintances there. Task-force members were continuing their investigation, trying to learn whether the fugitives had help in obtaining the car they drove to California, and in finding a place to hide, Sims said.

Rann will be returned as soon as extradition is completed. King County and Kent police were expected to leave today for Sacramento to interview Rann to see if he will waive extradition, Wilson said.

Sims said Rann may follow Sanford's lead and agree to be returned immediately to Seattle, waiving extradition, to avoid being placed in a California jail with gang members toughened by their years behind bars.

Sims said Sanford was eager to be returned here for that reason. When Rann is returned, he will be housed alone in a maximum-security cell on the 11th floor of the King County jail in downtown Seattle.

Sims praised the fugitive task force for its work in capturing both escapees, and county detention and justice-center staffs for their work in tightening jail security.

The pair broke free after they climbed atop a basketball backboard in a walled exercise yard with chain-link fencing as a ceiling. They cut through the fencing with a wire from a telephone handset and climbed onto the roof, where motion sensors failed to detect their presence. They apparently then jumped to the ground.

Sanford, recently convicted of attempted murder for shooting a woman in the head and neck during a Dec. 15 robbery attempt at the parking garage at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, was awaiting sentencing at the time of the escape.

Rann, who has lived in Seattle and Lewis County, was awaiting an Oct. 13 trial for an assault last fall in which he allegedly fired six shots from a .22-caliber pistol at rivals in another car.

Seattle Times staff reporter Dave Birkland contributed to this report.

Dee Norton's phone message number is 206-464-2255. His e-mail address is: dnor-new@seatimes.com

Nancy Bartley's phone message number is 253-946-3978. Her e-mail address is: nbar-new@seatimes.com