Search On For Inmate Who Escaped Sylmar Work Camp

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SYLMAR (CBSLA) – Authorities are searching for a 31-year-old California state prison inmate who walked away from a work camp in Sylmar early Monday morning.

A February 2019 photo of Fernando Deras, an inmate who walked away from a Sylmar work camp on April 29, 2019. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

Fernando Deras was discovered missing during an inmate count just before 1:30 a.m. at the Holton Fire Camp, located in the 1260 block of North Little Tujunga Canyon Road, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Last July, Deras began serving a four-year sentence for corporal injury on a specific person or persons. He was considered a minimum-security inmate.

He is described as Hispanic, 5-foot-9, 210 pounds with brown eyes and a shaved head. If you see him, call 911.

The Holton Fire Camp has about 80 inmates who do work including wildland firefighting, rescuing stranded drivers and clearing debris after storms.