Inmate Escapes Los Angeles Prison Re-Entry Program

LOS ANGELES, CA — Authorities sought public help Friday to find a prisoner who walked away from a community re-entry facility in Los Angeles County.

Jesse Hernandez, 38, escaped from the Male Community Re-entry Program facility on Thursday, said Kristina Khokhobashvili of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

"After being notified at 8:33 p.m. (Thursday) that Hernandez's GPS device had been tampered with, MCRP staff initiated an emergency count and facility search and discovered Hernandez was missing," Khokhobashvili said.

Hernandez was transferred from Pleasant Valley State Prison to the MCRP in Los Angeles County — the location is being withheld — on Sept. 19. He had been sent to prison to serve a three-year sentence for offenses that included vehicle theft with priors, and was scheduled to be released on probation in March.

Authorities circulated a photo of Hernandez, described as Hispanic, 6 feet tall, weighing 200 pounds, with brown hair and eyes, and asked anyone who sees him or has any knowledge of his whereabouts to contact law enforcement or call 911.

City News Service; Photo: courtesy of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation