3 inmates who escaped Orange County jail stand before judge; man arrested for allegedly smuggling tools into jail

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- The three inmates who spent more than a week on the run after escaping from the Orange County Central Men's Jail made their first court appearance on Monday.

Bac Duong, Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu stood in front of a judge, now each facing a long list of new charges.

MORE: Timeline of search effort for 3 escaped Orange County inmates

During a Monday morning press conference, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackaukas announced Loc Ba Nguyen had been arrested in connection with helping the inmates escape.

Rackaukas said Nguyen smuggled tools and other items into the jail that ultimately led to the three inmates breaking free on Jan. 22.

The district attorney said Nguyen was not a visitor, inmate or jail employee. His relationship to the jail or the inmates is unclear. He's due in court Feb. 22.

Meanwhile, Rackaukas said there's insufficient evidence to hold teacher Nooshafarin Ravaghi, who was also arrested in connection with the escape of the inmates.

Steps have been taken to make sure Ravaghi doesn't leave the area as the O.C. Sheriff's Department continues its investigation, Rackaukas said. The 44-year-old woman was arrested on Thursday and booked on suspicion of being an accessory to a felony.

Ravaghi taught English at the jail and officials claimed she helped provide maps and other materials to Nayeri.

Prosecutors clarified that all the personal letters between Ravaghi and Nayeri were written by Nayeri.

Nayeri, 37, and Tieu, 20, were arrested on Saturday after a civilian flagged down officers near San Francisco's Golden Gate Park after spotting their stolen van in the parking lot of a Whole Foods.

Duong, 43, turned himself in on Friday. He surrendered at an auto repair shop in Santa Ana just a few miles from the jail.

Arraignments for all three escaped inmates were continued to March 4 during their court appearance Monday morning.