Offender back in prison after walking away from alternative custody residence

A man who walked away from a Placerville-area home in the state’s Alternative Custody Program earlier this month is back in custody.

Keith Rains was taken into custody by Placerville police without incident Friday, eight days after walking away from the residence, according to a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation news release. He was transported to Folsom State Prison.

Rains, who was participating in the Jesus Our Boss program in Placerville, had last been seen at the residence on Newtown Road the evening of Nov. 16. Agents with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Special Service Unit searched for Rains and notified area law enforcement agencies.

The Alternative Custody Program is a voluntary program that allows eligible offenders to serve up to the last 12 months of their sentence in the community instead of state prison. Participants may be housed in a private residence, a transitional care facility or a residential drug or other treatment program, according to the news release.

Rains, 46, entered the state prison system in October 2015 from El Dorado County to serve seven years and four months for possession of a contraband substance in jail or prison by a second-strike offender and grand theft exceeding $950. He had been participating in the Alternative Custody Program since June and was to be released in May 2018. His case will now be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for consideration of escape charges, according to the news release.

This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Offender back in prison after walking away from alternative custody residence."