By JOSH FRIEDMAN

For at least the third time this year, an inmate escaped the minimum security Federal Correctional Complex in Lompoc. 

At about 10:20 p.m. on Saturday, prison guards determined Daniel Diaz, 27, was missing from the Lompoc prison camp. Prison officials did not notify the public about Diaz’s escape until Monday. 

Diaz was serving a 10-year sentence. He was sentenced in Iowa for attempt and conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. The mixture or substance contained 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine.

Authorities describe Diaz as 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 200 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. 

The minimum security facility, also known as a satellite camp, is adjacent to the medium security federal penitentiary in Lompoc. In recent years, more than a dozen inmates have walked away from the Lompoc prison camp, including two in a span of less than a month earlier this year.