By Associated Press, 04/25/02

OKANOGAN, Wash. -- Dental floss and some toothpaste was all it took for inmate Scott Brimble to get a taste of freedom.

Brimble apparently used the items to break out of an Okanogan County Jail exercise yard, county Sheriff Mike Murray said. He apparently used floss and toothpaste, which is abrasive, to weaken wire mesh, which he then pried apart to escape, Murray said.

Jailers noticed Brimble was missing at 5 a.m. Sunday from the outdoor recreation area where he had been taken after complaining of claustrophobia, Murray said.

The jail was in lockdown while the sheriff's office evaluated the security of the recreation area and searched cells to make sure others had no similar escape plans, Murray said.

Investigators believe Brimble had been planning the escape for about a month, he said.

Brimble, 30, was sentenced in February to 64 days in jail for failure to register as a sex offender. He also faced additional time for probation violations.

An arrest warrant charging first-degree escape was issued by the Okanogan County Superior Court.