Convict, 31, Who Walked Away From Halfway House Captured In El Cajon

By Elizabeth Ireland, Times of San Diego

March 17, 2023

A prison inmate who escaped from a Kearny Mesa halfway house two weeks ago was re-arrested Thursday, authorities reported.

Agents with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation took Cynthia Baker, 31, into custody without incident in El Cajon shortly before 1 p.m., according to CDCR public affairs. She was expected to be re-imprisoned at the California Institution for Women in Chino.

The case will be referred to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office for consideration of escape charges, the state agency reported.

Baker walked away from a Custody to Community Transitional Reentry Program facility on Armstrong Street without authorization on the morning of March 4, according to corrections officials. She had been incarcerated last October after receiving a three-year sentence for assault with force likely to result in great bodily injury.

The CCTRP program allows eligible inmates to serve the ends of their sentences in a community program in lieu of continued confinement in state prison. It provides a range of rehabilitative services that assist with alcohol and drug recovery, employment, education, housing, family reunification and social support, according to state officials.

City News Service contributed to this article.

Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.