Tips Lead To Arrest Of Escaped Prison Inmate From Monterey

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - State corrections officials say tips from the public led to the capture of an escaped prison inmate who was spotted inside a Cannery Row eatery in Monterey.

Department spokeswoman Chrissy Hackler said Friday that 56-year-old John Collard was arrested by Monterey police inside the Sly McFly's restaurant about 9:30 p.m. Thursday. She did not know whether Collard was enjoying a meal or having a drink at the time.

Collard disappeared Tuesday from the Ben Lomond Conservation Camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Officials say he is believed to have escaped in a pickup truck assigned to the minimum security facility.

He was serving a Monterey County sentence for making a criminal threat, resisting an officer and possession of a firearm.

Police say people recognized him from news reports.