Mariposa, CA…Law enforcement officials today arrested Joseph Speakman, an offender who walked away from the Mount Bullion Conservation Camp in Mariposa County on March 1. At 1:55 p.m., Speakman was found hiding near a vacant cabin located in a rural area about three miles from the Mount Bullion camp. He was taken into custody without incident, and is being transported to Sierra Conservation Center in Jamestown. The case will be referred to the Mariposa County District Attorney’s Office for consideration of escape charges.

Speakman, 46, was discovered missing at 4:20 a.m. on March 1 and officers immediately began a search of the camp. He had last been seen during an inmate count at 3:15 a.m. CDCR’s Office of Correctional Safety, CAL FIRE, the California Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agencies were quickly notified and assisted in the search.

Speakman was received by CDCR in June 2018 from Santa Barbara County to serve a four-year sentence for vehicle theft.

Since 1977, 99 percent of all offenders who have left an adult institution, camp, or community-based program without permission have been apprehended