Escaped prison inmate pursued, captured after Menifee wreck

MENIFEE — A convicted felon who walked away from Folsom State Prison on Dec. 22 was apprehended Wednesday, Jan. 16, after leading officials on a vehicle pursuit in Menifee.

The inmate was one of two men who escaped from California prison facilities within a 24-hour period. The other escaped inmate was apprehended in the Wrightwood area Dec. 25. An officer reportedly sustained a broken ankle in the first apprehension.

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Justin Franks, 27, was discovered missing during an evening inmate count Dec. 22. His escape kicked off an immediate manhunt by on-duty California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation staff, who were soon joined in their search by the agency’s Office of Correctional Safety Special Service Unit and other area law enforcement agencies

Franks was serving a three-year four month sentence for a July, 2018 San Bernardino County first degree burglary conviction. He was scheduled to be released this June.

Officials from multiple law enforcement agencies had been searching for Franks since his escape, when deputies reportedly received a tip that he was possibly in the Menifee area.

At around 5:45 p.m., Franks was spotted in Menifee driving a white, Ford F150. He refused to yield to a traffic stop and fled from officials at high-speed.

It was not immediately known which agency initially spotted Franks, but as the pursuit continued, deputies assigned to Menifee PD pursued the escaped felon south on Menifee Rd., then west on Holland, and north on Antelope Rd.

As the fleeing man approached the intersection of Antelope Rd. and Stillwater Dr., he plowed into another vehicle, disabling the truck he was driving.

Witnesses later reported that in the moments after the crash, more than two dozen deputies converged on the scene with lights flashing and sirens blaring.

Deputies approached Franks with their guns drawn and a K-9 was deployed into the wrecked pickup and aided in the escaped inmate’s apprehension.

The driver of the other vehicle, Menifee resident Anthony Gomez, received minor injuries in the accident, according to officials. Although he initially declined treatment at the scene of the crash, he later went to the hospital with complaints of leg and back pain. His vehicle, which he later said the fleeing felon hit while going about 80 mph, was destroyed in the high-speed collision. He had only had for about a month.

While officials investigated the collision they called for the temporary closure of Antelope Rd. at the intersection. The closure did not affect area businesses and the intersection was reopened a short time later.

After being arrested, Franks was transported to a hospital with dog-bite injuries. He was later turned over to CDCR and was transported to California Institution for Men. His case will be referred to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office for consideration of escape charges, according to CDCR.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.