Staffing Investigated At Palo Alto Courthouse After Inmate Escape

PALO ALTO, CA -- Law enforcement staffing at a Palo Alto courthouse on the day two inmates escape fluctuated. In a report by KPIX, the news station found that 11 deputies were staffed on Nov. 6 even though the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office maintain that 13 were present.

Earlier this month, John Bivins, 47, and Tramel McClough, 46, escaped from the courthouse as they were heading to a court appearance. McClough was captured on Nov. 22 while Bivins was captured on Sunday morning.

Through a search of courthouse schedules, KPIX found that less deputies were staffed at the government building than the Sheriff's Office indicated.

"...according to the courthouse schedules from that day only eleven deputies were working that morning. However, someone ordered the schedule to be altered after the escape to make it appear there were 13 deputies there. The original says only one deputy was scheduled for Courtroom 88. The altered schedule now shows three deputies," the news station reported.

Despite this, Sheriff Laura Smith told KPIX that she believes "the court is very, very happy with the level of service that we provide.”

--Photo via Pixabay