Prison Inmate Escapes Hemet Facility

July 15, 2022 update: Search For Escaped Prison Inmate Ends In Riverside County

HEMET, CA — California prison officials were continuing their search for an inmate who fled from Hemet's Bautista Conservation Camp late Wednesday night.

Jonathon Haines, 33, escaped sometime around 11 p.m., according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which operates the minimum-security facility.

Haines is described as a white male, 5-feet-6-inches tall, weighing 208 pounds with hazel eyes and brown hair. He was sentenced to state prison from Riverside County on June 28, 2013, with a 17-year, four-month sentence for second-degree robbery with use of a firearm as a second-striker, receiving stolen property, evading or attempting to evade a peace officer while driving recklessly, and buying/receiving stolen vehicle/trailer/construction equipment as a second striker. He was scheduled for parole in October 2023, according to the CDCR.

At approximately 10:45 p.m., camp staff noticed a suspicious vehicle near the grounds and immediately did an emergency count of inmates. Haines was missing but when camp staff put a call over the facility's speaker system, he responded at approximately 10:55 p.m., according to the CDCR.

Camp staff caught up with Haines, but when they tried to restrain him he got away, the CDCR reported.

CDCR’s Office of Correctional Safety, Cal Fire, and the California Highway Patrol have been notified about the missing inmate, and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is assisting in the search.

Anyone who sees Haines should call 911 or contact law enforcement authorities immediately. Anyone who knows of Haines’ whereabouts can also contact CDCR officials at 209-984-5291 ext. 5439.