The public’s help is being sought to locate a 22-year-old parolee who eluded capture by Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies earlier this week.
Joseph Vallejo, 22, of Carpinteria has been missing since about 10:15 p.m. Monday, when he fled from deputies who approached him near his home, sheriff spokeswoman Kelly Hoover said Wednesday.
An initial search of the area, which included a K9 specialty unit, did not locate Vallejo, who is on parole for assault with a deadly weapon, Hoover said.
Deputies searched for Vallejo again at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday — this time with assistance from a Santa Barbara County helicopter — after receiving several reports from residents that Vallejo had been seen at a home in the Carpinteria area, she said.
The search was eventually called off when Vallejo was not located.
Hoover said Vallejo was last seen Wednesday morning wearing a black sweatshirt, jeans and a black hat. He was riding a yellow mountain bike and had a black backpack.
Vallejo is about 5-foot-7 and 125 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and a large tattoo on his neck.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at 805.692.5743.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.