Another inmate walks away from L.A. County halfway house
Two days after the apprehension of an inmate who walked away from a halfway house in South Los Angeles, another inmate escaped from a halfway house in the Rampart area on Monday, officials said.
Jeffrey Scott Pine, 47 is at least the ninth offender to walk away from one of the two Los Angeles County Male Community Reentry Program facilities in 2016. At least 12 other inmates have left conservation camps and reentry facilities in different cities across the state this year, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation news releases.
Like the case of the man who was apprehended Saturday, Pine’s GPS-equipped ankle bracelet was found down the street from the facility where he was being housed. Authorities began searching for Pine after they received a notification that his device had been tampered with.
“It’s basically a hard piece of plastic that has the device on it,” said Joe Orlando, a public information officer with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. “I suppose if you had a sharp object and you worked on it enough, you could probably get it off.”
The L.A. County reentry facility allows eligible offenders to participate in rehabilitation programs during the last 180 days of their sentence. Some inmates are permitted to come and go from the facility for work or for school, but all inmates are required to wear GPS tracking devices.
“Sometimes they just take off,” Orlando said. “It’s not the same high walls you’d have in a prison facility. It’s pretty much an honor system.”
Pine was serving a three-year sentence for false impersonation and was transferred from prison to the reentry program facility located at 6th street and Alvarado on July 5. He was scheduled to be released on probation in October.
Authorities are seeking the public’s help to locate Pine. They said he is 5-foot-11, weighs about 165 pounds, is bald and has green eyes.
According to Orlando, more than 99% of escapees are eventually located. “We have a very high success rate,” he said.
Once caught, Pine is likely headed back to prison, Orlando said, but the circumstances of his escape are still under investigation.
ALSO
Alleged stalker arrested at reality TV star Kendall Jenner’s home
Arson suspect held on $5.1-million bail as firefighters battle Lake County blaze
Police catch ‘Dreaded Bandit’ suspect after a series of bank robberies in San Francisco
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
