Contra Costa Jail Escapee Found, Another Still At Large

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — One of two inmates who escaped Sunday from the Marsh Creek Detention Facility in Contra Costa County was back in custody Thursday, according to the county Sheriff's Office.

Gerardo Ramirez-Vera, 33, of Richmond, and Jorge Garcia-Escamillia, 28, of Pittsburg, were reported missing Sunday morning from the minimum-security facility in Clayton, sheriff's officials said.

Around 9:15 a.m. Thursday morning — four days after the pair's escape — Ramirez-Vera was arrested at a hotel in Vallejo and was booked into the county jail in Martinez, the sheriff's office said.

Garcia-Escamilla remained outstanding as of Thursday evening.

The duo was discovered missing around 11:20 a.m. Sunday from Marsh Creek Detention Facility, a minimum-security jail that houses sentenced prisoners and those facing lower-level charges that would likely result in a sentence served locally, according to the sheriff's office.

"An emergency count was conducted, and a comprehensive search of the facility and the immediate area was carried out," sheriff's Spokesperson Jimmy Lee said. "Law enforcement agencies in the area were notified and an alert was sent to residents in the area."

Ramirez-Vera was convicted of weapon, burglary and vandalism charges and was due to be released from the county-run facility in early January 2023, while Garcia-Escamillia was being held on charges of vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of burglary tools and drug possession, and had court dates still pending.

Both men now face felony charges of escape from a county detention facility and could receive a state prison sentence.

The sheriff's office asked anyone with information on Garcia-Escamillia's whereabouts or anyone who might have seen him to call Dispatch at 925-646-2441.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.