LOS ANGELES, CA – A California inmate serving a 16-year sentence for firearms offenses was apprehended Thursday morning, two days after he walked away from a Los Angeles County fire camp, authorities said.
Jessie Meza, 38, was reported missing late Tuesday from the Acton Conservation Camp after guards conducted a routine headcount, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). The department notified local law enforcement and issued a public alert regarding his escape.
Meza was found and taken into custody without incident around 10:20 a.m. Thursday in Bakersfield, officials said.
Meza had been convicted in March 2022 in Kern County on charges related to firearms and vandalism. With his capture, officials said he would be transferred back to a state prison and could face additional charges related to his escape.
“He will be rehoused at a prison and his case will be referred to the Los Angeles County District Attorney for possible escape charges,” CDCR said in a statement.
The Acton Conservation Camp, located in northern Los Angeles County, is part of a state program that trains incarcerated individuals to serve as hand crews for wildfire suppression efforts across California. The camp, operated in partnership with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), allows lower-risk inmates to assist in firefighting and other emergency response efforts.
Incidents of inmates walking away from California’s conservation camps are rare. According to CDCR, 99% of individuals who have escaped from state-run facilities since 1977 have been recaptured.
