Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca was found safe July 15 about eight hours after he apparently wandered away from his San Marino home, authorities said.
San Marino is 10 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
San Marino Police Chief John Incontro told reporters at about 1 a.m. Monday that Mr. Baca, 82, was found in an El Monte restaurant about seven miles from San Marino and identified with the help of a bracelet he wears.
Mr. Baca suffered no injuries, and Mr. Incontro said he “seemed to be in good spirits.'’
Mr. Baca served as Los Angeles County Sheriff from 1998 to 2014. ABC7 reported Mr. Baca has Alzheimer’s disease, according to what his attorneys stated in 2016 before his conviction for obstructing an FBI investigation into abuse in county jails.
Mr. Baca served about two years of a three-year sentence in federal prison.
According to the San Marino Police Department, officers responded Sunday afternoon to a call of a “critical missing person.'’
“The caller mentioned that Leroy David Baca, a relative, had left his residence in San Marino ... at 4:38 p.m.,'' San Marino police said in a statement Monday.
“Mr. Mr. Baca, who has dementia... was last seen walking north on Virginia Road toward Huntington Drive,'' the statement said.
“An extensive search for Mr. Mr. Baca took place with assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Missing Person’s Unit, Pasadena Police Department Air Support, Arcadia Police Department K-9 and Claremont Police Department K-9.
“On July 15, 2024, at approximately 12:34 a.m. … Mr. Baca was found safe and in good health in the City of El Monte,'‘ the statement said. ”He was promptly returned to his residence and reunited with his family.’’
