By T.J. Wilham
Albuquerque Journal
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Two people missing from the jail’s controversial community custody program have been recaptured.
Isaiah Griego and Phillip Sierra were two of 30 people featured in an Albuquerque police advertisement that was published in metro area editions of the Sunday Journal.
The ad featured people who had escaped from the CCP program, which allows offenders to await trial or serve their sentence at home.
The ad ran in the wake of a Journal investigation that found 31 inmates who had escaped from various jail programs. Twenty-six of those were on CCP, and some had been missing for as long as 15 years.
“The wanted list is doing exactly what we wanted to accomplish,” police Chief Ray Schultz said. “We have also sent a strong and clear message to people who are thinking about escaping from the CCP program.”
Griego and Sierra were captured after police received Crime Stoppers tips.
Sierra, 20, was placed on CCP while awaiting trial on drug trafficking charges. He disappeared in May 2008. Sierra was arrested Tuesday after police got a Crime Stoppers tip. He was staying at a hotel near Lomas and Eubank.
Griego, 32, was arrested Tuesday inside a home in the 600 block of Utah SE. He was placed in the CCP program after his 2005 conviction for aggravated DWI and abuse of a child. He disappeared from the program in January 2006, less than two months after his conviction.
On Wednesday, APD’s Special Investigation Division combed the city looking for the remaining escapees.
Although they came up empty, investigators learned that five people had died, and several of the escapees had fled to Mexico.
Investigators believe there are still 11 escapees living in Albuquerque,
“Because of the fact these warrants are so old, a lot of these guys figure they have been forgotten about,” Albuquerque police Cmdr. Joe Hudson said.
Schultz said he will dedicate resources toward finding the fugitives.
Schultz has complained that the jail takes too long to notify his agency when someone disappears from the CCP program. He said he has not had any conversations with jail staff since he ran the advertisement.
The chief also said the program needs a “comprehensive review.”
“CCP is a valid program, and has a valued use in the criminal justice process,” Schultz said. “But it is only as good as the people in it and the people that enforce its rules.”
Copyright 2009 Albuquerque Journal