Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Inmate escapes from Jean camp

An inmate convicted of theft, burglary, forgery and possession of a controlled substance escaped from Jean Conservation Camp at Jean, Department of Correction officials said.

Erica Valenzuela, 25, left the camp about 9 p.m. Tuesday. She was serving a one- to four-year sentence and stands 5-foot-8, 160 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair. She has several tattoos, including one saying "Robert" on her right ankle, another saying "Erica" on her left ankle and a third saying "Jose and Cody" on her upper right shoulder.

The incident was the second such escape from the camp in two weeks. There are 10 camps statewide with a total of 1,734 inmates.

"It's just a camp, not an enclosed institution," said Suzanne Pardee, a prison official.

"There's supervisors there, but it's not like they're there watching them every minute of the day."

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