Authorities arrested two women in Los Angeles who fled a San Diego Reentry Facility, confirmed the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials.
Karen Flores, 26, and Gisselle Rivas, 20, were apprehended at 4 p.m. Sunday Nov. 5, according to the CDCR. Agents detained both women in the Southwest area of LA.
The pair walked away on Armstrong Street from the Custody to Community Transitional Reentry Program (CCTRP) last Thursday, said CDCR officials.
Agents from Special Service Unit (SSU) San Diego and the San Diego Fugitive Apprehension Team discovered Flores and Rivas as they stood outside on Martin Luther King Boulevard and Western Avenue. They were taken into custody without incident.
Both women were transported to the California Institution for Women in Corona. CDCR officials said the District Attorney’s office will review their cases.
When authorities searched their room on Thursday, CCTRP staff found a cell phone in the room shared by Flores and Rivas. Staff were quickly alerted that the women had removed their ankle monitors, according to CDCR.
A faculty-wide search followed an emergency count of the inmates at 11:50 a.m. As they searched, staff spotted one ankle monitor on program grounds.
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Flores came from Los Angeles County in August 2016 to serve two years, eight months for second-degree robbery and grand theft. She took part in CCTRP since May 2017 and was set to be released in September 2018.
Rivas was sent from Los Angeles County in January 2017 to serve four years for first-degree burglary and vehicle theft. She has been in this program since June 2017 and was set to be released in April 2018.
CCTRP staff said eligible participants may serve the remainder of their sentence in a community program, instead of a state prison. The program provides a series of rehabilitative services that help with alcohol and drug recovery, employment, education, social support and more.
Local law enforcement agencies and CDCR's Office of Correctional Safety worked together to locate the inmates. According to the CDCR, they have apprehended 99 percent of all offenders who left an adult institution, camp or community-based program without permission since 1977.
No further information is currently available.
