An inmate serving a 16-year sentence for firearms charges was apprehended Thursday morning after he walked away from the Acton Conservation Camp in Los Angeles County.
Jessie Meza, 38, was discovered missing after camp guards conducted a head count Tuesday night, the California Department for Corrections and Rehabilitation said.
Local authorities were alerted and a release was issued to media regarding his disappearance.
Meza was ultimately located and apprehended around 10:20 a.m. Thursday in Bakersfield without incident, officials said.
In March 2022, Meza was convicted in Kern County of firearms-related charges and vandalism. He will now likely face new charges related to his escape.
“He will be rehoused at a prison and his case will be referred to the Los Angeles County District Attorney for possible escape charges,” CDCR stated in a news release.
The Acton Conservation Camp’s mission is to provide incarcerated hand crews to fight fires in the Los Angeles County area and all over the state of California, the CDCR states on its website.
Walkaways from California prison camps are rare, and officials said 99% of all those who escape CDCR facilities have been captured since 1977.
