CALIFORNIA – The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) announced on October 10 that officials are searching for an inmate who walked away from Intermountain Conservation Camp in Bieber, Lassen County.
At approximately 2 p.m., staff discovered camp participant Jorge Gayton, 38, missing during a head count.
Staff immediately conducted an emergency count, confirming Gayton’s absence.
Within minutes, CDCR’s Office of Correctional Safety launched a search for Gayton and notified local law enforcement.
Last seen wearing gray sweatpants
Gayton was last seen wearing gray sweatpants. He is 5-foot-9 and weighs 214 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes, and is now clean-shaven.
Gayton was received from Stanislaus County on Jan. 30, 2025. He is serving a three-year sentence for first-degree robbery and vehicle theft.
Since 1977, CDCR has apprehended 99% of inmates who escaped or walked away from prisons, camps, or community programs, the department said in a news release.
CDCR urges anyone with information to call
California’s conservation camps, operated by CDCR and CAL FIRE, house minimum-security inmates who help fight wildfires and complete community projects.
Participants receive firefighter training, earn reduced sentences, and assist with tasks such as flood control, brush clearing, and park maintenance.
CDCR urges anyone with information on Gayton’s whereabouts to call 911, local law enforcement, or Special Agent William Miles at 916-203-0971.
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