The State - News from April 24, 1989

Federal prison officials in Lompoc have called off much of the ground search for an inmate who escaped from a penitentiary and are relying on local authorities and leads from the public for help. Manuel Garcia Bracamonte, 32, a convicted armed bank robber, remained on the loose after his escape Friday from the maximum-security section of Lompoc Federal Correctional Institution, Officer Robert Horne said. The search crew was cut down from a high of about 150 people combing the brush shortly after the escape to two prison officials driving around Santa Barbara County, Horne said. “Right now, we’re following up on leads from the public,� he said. “Beyond that, the escape status has not changed.� Bracamonte, serving a 25-year term, and another inmate, Albert Burrell Gudino, 48, escaped by hiding in boxes aboard a trailer towed from the prison, but Gudino was quickly recaptured, authorities said.