Lake County prison inmate still at large

State prison inmate Nicolas Dunning remained at large Wednesday after his escape Monday from a minimum-security camp for inmate firefighters in Lake County.

Officials at the Konocti Conservation Camp discovered Dunning, 32, was missing at 7:40 a.m. during an inmate count, said state corrections Lt. Charlene Billings in an email.

Officials suspect he disappeared between 6:30 and 7:15 a.m. The camp isn’t enclosed with a secured perimeter and officials suspect the inmate walked off the grounds, as he wasn’t found during a search of camp buildings and grounds. Officials alerted neighboring law enforcement agencies and Cal Fire.

Dunning was assigned to the camp to work as a firefighter during the recent wildfires, Billings said.

Dunning was sentenced in April 2018 to five years in state prison following his conviction in Imperial County of assault with a deadly weapon, officials said in a news release. He was assigned to the Lower Lake camp, on Highway 29. The camp houses 95 inmates who train and fight wildfires as well as provide labor on fire prevention projects, according to the camp’s website.

Officials described Dunning as white, bald, green-eyed and 6-feet-2, ?181 pounds. Officials asked anyone who sees him to call 911 or anyone with information about his possible whereabouts to contact camp officials at 530-257-2181, ext. 4173.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.