SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A female inmate who walked away from a treatment facility on Treasure Island has turned herself in, after a search was launched, state prison officials said on Monday.
38-year-old Maria Vasquez has been participating in the Alternative Custody Program (ACP) at the Treasure Island Female Offender Treatment and Employment Program (FOTEP) facility since May 20, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). She walked off the facility grounds on Sunday.
The CDCR says staff and resources were sent to try and locate Vasquez. The department also contacted the California Highway Patrol and local law enforcement for assistance in the search. Officials tell KRON 4 that Vasquez turned herself in on Monday morning. It’s unclear where she had been.
Vasquez was committed to CDCR last year, from Kern County to serve a four-year sentence for vehicle theft with prior vehicle theft-related convictions and evading a peace officer while driving recklessly, according to officials. The CDCR says staff and resources have been sent to locate and apprehend Vasquez. The department has also contacted the California Highway Patrol and local law enforcement for assistance in the search.
The Alternative Custody Program at Treasure Island is a voluntary program developed for female non-violent, non-serious and non-registerable sex offense inmates which allows them to serve up to the last 24 months of their sentence in the community in lieu of confinement in state prison. Eligible participants may be housed in a private residence, a transitional care facility or a residential drug or other treatment program.
The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says the Treasure Island Female Offender Treatment and Employment Program is not operated under a secure facility, but residents are required to keep program officials notified of their whereabouts. Officials say anytime an inmate is not where she is supposed to be, the CDCR will launch a search to try and locate the individual.