Man walks away from inmate re-entry facility

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com

SAN DIEGO

Authorities on Tuesday continued to search for a man who was participating in a community reentry program in San Diego for state prisoners before he removed his GPS device Monday.

Gilbert Escobedo, 35, was on approved community leave from the San Diego Male Community Re-entry Program when officials were notified around 3:15 p.m. Monday of tampering involving his GPS monitoring device, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

State authorities said Escobedo is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs about 200 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.

Escobedo was convicted in San Diego County of second-degree robbery and second-degree burglary and was serving a two-year sentence. He was transferred from prison to the Barrio Logan re-entry program in November and was scheduled to be released on supervised parole in February.

The Male Community Re-entry Program allows eligible people inA carcerated in state prison to serve the end of their sentences in a community setting, with the program providing them tools to help them transition out of custody. Those tools and programs include job training, mental health support, substance abuse treatment, family reunification and housing.

Another man walked away from the re-entry program in late October, and was arrested a few days later in Mission Valley. That is typical in such situations — the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says that since 1977, 99 percent of those who have left inmate camps or community-based programs without permission have been apprehended.

City News Service contributed to this report. alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com