James Edward Russell successfully escaped from the minimum-security Olympic Corrections Center in Washington state and made it 14 whole miles before his dependence upon technology got the best of him. Wearing a bright red prison uniform didn't help him, either.

Russell, 39, was passing through a wooded resort when he decided to stop at a cabin and ask to use the phone—maybe to order a lawyer, or to tell a friend to bring him civilian clothes. As luck would have it, the cabin he chose was being rented out by an off-duty Olympic Corrections Center guard, who immediately recognized Russell's gear and was like, "hey, can I trade outfits with you? That looks comfortable." No, not really—the guard was more like, "well looky here, escaped inmate," and gave chase. Eventually Russell was caught and returned to the prison, where he's doing time for forgery and theft. He also might face another year in prison for his escape attempt.

Why didn't he just take off the uniform and run through the woods naked? Then the guard would have assumed he was just another European tourist, and Russell might be free today. [Peninsula Daily News. Image by PRIMA via Shutterstock.]