San Juan County inmate escapes Farmington treatment facility, search underway

San Juan County was searching for Mataius Alijah Oros, 20, after he escaped custody from a minimum-security treatment facility in Farmington and was last seen on foot near Airport and Municipal. The case is a live law-enforcement search in the Four Corners region, and San Juan County said Oros was wearing orange pants and a white T-shirt when he was last seen, though he may have removed one or both items.

The escape happened around 2 p.m. Sunday after Oros asked to use the bathroom during church services and never returned. San Juan County said he jumped a fence in the recreation yard, prompting detention officers to immediately dispatch law enforcement and begin a search of the facility. The county also said the incident was the first escape in the 31-year history of the jail-based treatment center. Anyone who sees Oros was urged to call 911 or non-emergency dispatch at 505-334-6622.

San Juan County identified Oros as a Native American man who is 6 feet tall, weighs 165 pounds and has a mustache. He had been in the San Juan County Alternative Sentencing Division’s DWI residential treatment program and was awaiting trial on charges including breaking and entering and unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office said he was not considered dangerous and had no known adult history of violent charges. When he is returned to custody, he will face additional fourth-degree felony charges.

The division operates two jail-based treatment programs and one court compliance program from three Farmington locations at 1006 Municipal Drive, 1256 W. Navajo and 3838 E. Main Street. It employs more than 50 people in San Juan County, and its DWI Center runs a 28-day treatment program for offenders housed in a minimum-security detention facility.