HAUNTED JAIL OFFERS THRILLS IN SAFETY DEPUTIES HOSTING HALLOWEEN EVENT.

Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and students from Lancaster and Quartz Hill high schools will host ``haunted jail'' tours from dusk to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

This year's event has opened up a much larger area of the jail for tours, including many of the areas that, according to legend, are haunted by a Royal Air Force pilot killed there nearly 60 years ago.

``We're doing this to get the Sheriff's Department involved with the community,'' said Lt. Jody Sharp. ``We want to show the public that we are more than just police. That there's a person behind those badges. If we get a couple of kids who say they want to be a deputy, then that would be a successful event.''

The jail's haunted house also provides a safe place for youngsters to celebrate Halloween early, Sharp added.

``Especially with everything going on now, parents are going to be more cautious, and this is a very safe place for kids,'' she said.

Guides will take visitors through Mira Loma Jail's oldest section, which includes a theater, recreation and briefing rooms for pilots, and, most notably, the War Eagle Field control tower that still overlooks the facility.

Deputies over the years have reported hearing strange noises, gates that won't stay locked and even the apparition of a young man in flight gear. They've named the ghost Gunther, but the dead airman's name was Mayer Ber Himelstaub, a Royal Air Force cadet.

``There are employees who have seen or heard something eerie here and some that have seen the pilot, but most don't want to talk about it,'' Sharp said.

Food will be available for sale, and T-shirts will be sold during the tour, with all the proceeds going into next year's event.

The free event is open to the public. All children 14 and under will get a bag of candy at the end of the tour.

Mira Loma is located on the corner of 60th Street East and Avenue I. Visitors should enter under the water tower and follow the signs in. For more information on the event, call Deputy Gerry Garren at [phone].