Dyan Castorena, Prison Inmate Who Escaped Work Crew By Stealing Car, Busted at Casino | Valley Fever | Phoenix | Phoenix New Times | The Leading Independent News Source in Phoenix, Arizona
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Dyan Castorena, Prison Inmate Who Escaped Work Crew By Stealing Car, Busted at Casino

Dyan Castorena, the Arizona prison inmate who escaped custody by stealing a car last week, was taken back into custody yesterday, the Arizona Department of Corrections says.Castorena, who left a work crew at a car auction in a car she stole, was arrested just after 3p.m. yesterday at Casino Arizona...
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Dyan Castorena, the Arizona prison inmate who escaped custody by stealing a car last week, was taken back into custody yesterday, the Arizona Department of Corrections says.

Castorena, who left a work crew at a car auction in a car she stole, was arrested just after 3p.m. yesterday at Casino Arizona by the Salt River Pima Tribal Police.

According to the DOC, Castorena was was working at the Manheim Auto Auction in Tolleson on September 30, when she stole one of the cars and drove off.

Fittingly, Castorena is currently serving a 1.5-year prison sentence at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Perryville for theft.

Castorena was last seen about 11 a.m. leaving the auto auction in a 4-door silver or gray Toyota Camry heading west.

Castorena isn't the first AZDOC inmate to escape custody by stealing a car.


In July of 2010, inmate Lonnie Smith took off from the work crew at the Huachuca City Landfill in a city-owned vehicle.


Smith was a minimum-security inmate at the Arizona prison complex in Douglas who was serving time for a drug paraphernalia violation and misconduct involving a weapon. A convicted thief and forger, he picked up the weapons charge after being caught with a weapon in his home.


Turns out, a city employee had accidentally left the keys in the vehicle prior to Smith stealing it. He was captured a few weeks later.

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