A parolee with a history of violence and sex offenses who escaped Friday morning from a mental health facility in unincorporated Redwood City has been caught.
San Mateo County sheriff's said someone recognized Derrick Sanders, 34, panhandling near San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf Saturday morning and alerted police who arrested him without incident.
Sanders was found missing from the Cordilleras Mental Health Facility at 200 Edmonds Road around 4 a.m. Friday, said Lt. Larry Schumaker.
Sanders, a transient who frequents both San Mateo and Alameda counties, has a history of violence, weapons and sex offenses and currently faces a misdemeanor charge for an alleged sex offense against a minor in San Mateo County, as well as a parole violation, Schumaker said.
He is believed to have escaped through an elevator shaft and is considered a "high risk" offender with mental health issues.
Police credit extensive media coverage for the suspect's safe capture.
