Prisoner Escapes Trolley Work Detail

A prisoner serving a two-year sentence escaped from his minimum-security work detail Wednesday morning, authorities said.

R. Rutledge, 35, fled his work detail at the San Diego Trolley compound and was discovered missing about 9:45 a.m.

Rutledge was about midway through his two-year term for possession of bad checks at the Donovan state prison. Under the conditions of his sentence, he was eligible for release--at the earliest--in August.

Rutledge had been assigned to the minimum-security crew since November, and he began working at the trolley center in December. He has been in prison since October.

Police are now seeking Rutledge, who is described as 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He has numerous tattoos on his back and arms, including one on his right arm that says: “Love Is Mom.”