Escaped inmate arrested in Paso Robles
(Update 4:21 p.m.) The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation sent out a correction saying Shalom Mendoza was taken to Salinas Valley State Prison, not California Men’s Colony.
Update (2:04 p.m.) The escaped inmate was caught in Paso Robles Saturday afternoon.
Officials say Shalom Mendoza was arrested at 12:30 p.m. at a Taco Bell near the corner of 24th St. and Riverside Ave.
A bystander spotted him inside the fast food restaurant and immediately called California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation agents.
They say he was taken into custody without incident.
Agents took Mendoza to California Men’s Colony near San Luis Obispo.
His case is being referred to the Marin County District Attorney’s Office.
An inmate who escaped from San Quentin State Prison was spotted on the Central Coast.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says Shalom Mendoza was spotted at the Dollar Store in San Miguel Friday afternoon.
Officials say he bought dark clothing and is no longer wearing his prison uniform.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office told KCOY and KEYT that Mendoza was also spotted around midnight Saturday morning in the area of 24th St. and Riverside Ave. in Paso Robles.
Investigators believe the inmate is heading toward Los Angeles.
Mendoza was reported missing Wednesday after prison guards noticed he was missing during an institutional count.
Investigators say he was assigned to work outside of the prison’s secured perimeter when the escape happened.
Officials say he carjacked a woman at a nearby Home Depot and started driving south.
A car matching the description was found abandoned along Highway 101, north of Paso Robles on Friday.
Mendoza was serving a five-year prison sentence for use of a deadly weapon during a carjacking and evading police while driving recklessly.
The inmate is considered dangerous. Anyone who sees him is asked to call 911.
