Inmate apprehended after walking away from L.A. County Fire camp

An inmate who walked away from a prison camp in Sylmar was apprehended hours later, officials from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.

Angel Gaxiola, 33, was taken into custody Monday around 8:20 a.m. in the city of Upland in San Bernardino County.

Gaxiola was reported missing around 9 p.m. the previous evening from the Holton Conservation Camp, a joint operation between CDCR and the Los Angeles County Fire Department which provides training for incarcerated individuals to assist with emergencies and natural disasters.

• Holton Conservation Camp #16 is jointly operated by CDCR and the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD.) The camp’s primary mission is to support local, state, and federal agencies as they respond to fires, floods, and other natural and manmade disasters. Incarcerated hand crews also complete community service and conservation projects year-round.

After confirming that Gaxiola was not present, CDCR officials alerted local authorities to his disappearance.

Angel A. Gaxiola, 33, was reported as a walkaway from the Holton Conservation Camp in Sylmar on May 25, 2026. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

He was ultimately located about 55 miles southeast of the camp and arrested by officers from the Upland Police Department.

Gaxiola was serving a six-year sentence for second degree robbery in San Bernardino County. He’d been staying at the Holton Conservation Camp since Jan. 22, CDCR officials said.

He is now likely to face fresh charges for escaping custody, which will be considered by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Inmates walking away from these lower security training and work camps is rare, and CDCR says 99% of all inmates who have left any California institution or other facility have been apprehended since 1977.