Escaped inmate re-arrested near Santa Barbara County Jail

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - An inmate worker on a laundry detail briefly escaped the Sheriff's laundry facility near the Santa Barbara County Main Jail Saturday morning.

Deputies responded to the call around 9 a.m. The Sheriff's Office said 19-year-old inmate Gerardo Vasquez Rivera of Oxnard was on the loose for about 40 minutes.

After that time, deputies who were searching the area located Vasquez Rivera on Cathedral Oaks at Via Chaparral. The inmate was re-arrested without further incident.

Vasquez Rivera was originally booked by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office on May 11, 2020, for two counts of burglary, obstructing a peace officer, concealing a stolen weapon, possession of a loaded stolen weapon, burglary, burglary during a state of emergency and attempted burglary. Vasquez Rivera was also booked for a warrant from Ventura County for giving a false ID to an officer, receiving known stolen property, two counts of possession of a stolen vehicle, two counts of vehicle theft and for driving without a license. His bail was set at $90,000.

Deputies reported Vasquez Rivera sustained injuries during his escape and was treated at the hospital.

He was rebooked into the county jail with a felony charge for escaping and is now being held without bail.