Escaped Calaveras Inmate Captured After Pursuit

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Valley Springs, CA — A man who broke away from Calaveras County Jail on February 2nd was captured in the Valley Springs area.

Larry Albert McDonald Jr. was staying in a trailer in the 400 block of Highway 26.

Yesterday afternoon, at around 3pm, officials with the Calaveras Probation Department, and US Marshal Fugitive Task Force, searched the area. MacDonald was spotted running from the trailer into a wooded area.

A perimeter was established, and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office sent a helicopter equipped with thermal imaging.

At around 6:30pm, the helicopter located a possible heat signature of McDonald, and officials on the ground were notified. When they started to move in, McDonald moved to another area, but was eventually captured, and taken into custody, shortly after 7pm.

The Sheriff’s Office reports that he was booked on a list of charges, including escape from jail, and three counts of lewd or lascivious acts on a child under the age of 14 (earlier charges out of San Joaquin County prior to jail escape).

Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, Lt. Greg Stark, says, “The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all the allied agencies and information from citizens who assisted in the search for and apprehension of Suspect McDonald.”