An inmate who walked away from Washington Ridge Conservation Camp in Nevada County is back in custody after being found in Mexico.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says Mexican authorities caught Miguel Banuelos at a home in Tijuana on July 6th, two days after disappearing.
Banuelos will now appear before an immigration judge in Mexico and then returned to the U.S. where he will be transferred to a state prison and his case will be referred to the Nevada County District Attorney for possible escape charges.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Authorities need your help finding an inmate who walked away from Washington Ridge Conservation Camp in Nevada County on the Fourth of July.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is looking for 49-year-old Miguel Banuelos after he was last seen at approximately 12:35 p.m.
Prison officials say during a 2 p.m. count, staff discovered he was missing and immediately began searching the camp grounds. After staff were unable to find him, escape procedures were initiated and local law enforcement was notified.
Banelos is 5'7" inches tall, weighs about 189 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes.
Banuelos was received from San Diego County on July 23, 2025. He was sentenced to seven years for transportation or sale of a controlled substance and possession or purchase of heroin/cocaine exceeding four kilograms. He was scheduled to be released on April 20, 2028.
If you see him, contact 911 or the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. Anyone with information may also contact Lt. Wayland Hanks at (916) 200-6127 or OCS Special Agent Tim Keeney at (916) 210-9159.
(California Department of Corrections contributed to this report.)
