Man who escaped South Lake Tahoe jail arrested in Las Vegas

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) Investigations and the FBI Sacramento field office worked cooperatively to locate Ruben Zavala Garcia, who escaped from confinement at the El Dorado County South Lake Tahoe Detention Facility while on detail on November 23, 2021.

Zavala Garcia was arrested on Thursday, February 24, 2022, after being located by the Las Vegas FBI Fugitive Task Force.

The FBI followed the vehicle Zavala was traveling in while additional resources responded to the area to apprehend Zavala Garcia. Zavala was arrested and taken into custody without incident. Zavala is currently detained at the Clark County Detention Center and will be extradited back to El Dorado County to face local charges.

A felony arrest warrant for Zavala was issued for escape from jail, in the El Dorado County Superior Court of California, South Lake Tahoe, on November 30, and a federal warrant for Unlawful Flight to Avoid Confinement was issued in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, on December 9, ensuring Zavala Garcia could be extradited back to El Dorado County if he had fled the state or country.

EDSO extends its gratitude to the FBI Sacramento and Las Vegas field offices, as well as the multiple law enforcement agencies who assisted with the investigation and resulting capture of Zavala Garcia.