Woman who walked away from L.A. reentry program apprehended in El Monte

An incarcerated woman who walked away from a rehabilitation program in Los Angeles was apprehended by authorities Friday afternoon, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Erica N. Ybarra, 37, was serving her sentence at the L.A. County Female Community Reentry Program when she removed her ankle monitor and left the facility without permission Thursday afternoon.

CDCR staff searched the buildings and grounds, but Ybarra was nowhere to be found. Her ankle monitor was discovered near the facility. 

Authorities put out an alert that she had walked away from the reentry program, including physical descriptions and her most recent CDCR photograph.

On Friday, it was announced that Ybarra was located in El Monte around 3:45 p.m.

She was taken into custody without incident and transported to the California Institution for Women. Her case, according to officials, will now be referred to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for possible escape charges.

The Female Community Reentry Program allows eligible offenders committed to state prison to serve the end of their sentences in the reentry center to ease their transition from custody to the community. 

She had been at the facility for less than a month, having arrived there to serve part of a two-year sentence for second-degree robbery.

According to CDCR, 99% of all walkaways from adult institutions have been successfully recaptured since 1977.