Deuel Vocational Institution inmate Enrique Contreras escaped from the prison on Sunday, July 1. Courtesy photo
Enrique Contreras Jr., 25, escaped by allegedly climbing an 8-foot high chain-link fence that outlined the perimeter of the prison at 23500 Kasson Road, according to Lt. George Paul, public information officer for DVI.
The fence has two strands of barbed wire on the top, Paul said.
“There was an area where the barbed wire was pulled down, and it is believed this is the point at which Contreras climbed over,” he said Monday, July 2.
Contreras is described as being 5-foot-4 and 135 pounds with light complexion, brown hair and hazel eyes. He has a small tear-drop tattoo under his right eye, and another tattoo of hands folded in prayer on the left side of his neck.
Paul said Contreras was assigned a bunk in the dairy facility but worked as a janitor for the minimum security section of the prison.
Corrections officers visibly counted Contreras during the midnight rounds, Paul said, but he was gone when they returned for the next night check at 2:30 a.m.
“We are actively searching for him, and we have notified law enforcement in the surrounding areas to be on the lookout,” he said.
Corrections officers checked the prison grounds but only located Contreras’ prison-issued blue pants and T-shirt.
Contreras is a San Joaquin County native serving a 32-month sentence for second-degree burglary, according to a DVI media release issued Sunday. He is scheduled for parole in April 2013.
Paul believes Contreras’ connections will keep him in San Joaquin County.
This is the second walkaway from the prison’s dairy facility in the past month.
Raul Edgardo Lopez, 25, was discovered missing from the dairy during an inmate count at 2:30 a.m. June 4. Working on a citizen’s tip, police arrested Lopez without incident 10 hours later as he sat inside a taxi at the corner of 10th Street and Central Avenue.
Paul said the more recent escapee, Contreras, is a convicted felon and is considered dangerous.
“You should not try and stop him,” Paul said.
Anyone with information about the escape of Enrique Contreras should call 911, he said. People can also call the DVI escape commander at 830-3856.
Considerin th lack of support an fundin we are puttin it ta our prisons it's sorta of a wonder we don't see more of these escapes.
Yer absolutely right! When ya get done lookin inta it let all th rest of us know.
Look, this is an honor area whair they have minimum security because th folks in thair are considered not ta be a problem with runnin away.
When they catch this guy he will go ta a maximum graybar hotel an won't have th privileges he gave up an won't be gettin out when his parole comes.
An if he don't get caught soon, he's gonna have ta lay low fer th rest of his life cus if he don't he's gonna be recognized an sent back ta th slammer.
Th smartest thang he could do at this point is ta tarn himself in. But we know he's not all that smart or he wouldn't have been in thair in th first place.
So when they do corner him hopefully some innocent parson won't get caught in th gunfire that kills him. Yeah, a really smart macho man ain't he. ceCInd