Escaped patient from SLO Psychiatric Health Facility found in Pismo Beach

Update (6:15 p.m.):

A patient who escaped from the San Luis Obispo Psychiatric Health Facility was located at the Pismo State Beach North Campground in Pismo Beach at 3:30 p.m. Sunday by State Parks rangers, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.

Benjamin Aaron Karp, 31, of San Luis Obispo was taken into custody without incident and will be transported to San Luis Obispo County Jail, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Original story:

An at-risk mental health patient escaped from the San Luis Obispo Psychiatric Health Facility on Saturday morning, according to a news release from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.

At approximately 8:45 a.m. the Sheriff’s Office received a report of a person vandalizing property at the San Luis Obispo Psychiatric Health Facility off of Johnson Avenue.

Before law enforcement arrived, the man, 31-year-old Benjamin Aaron Karp of San Luis Obispo, a patient at the facility, fled.

Karp is described as a white male standing 6 feet tall and weighing 190 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing blue scrubs and no shoes.

At this time Karp is not believed to be a danger to the public, but the Sheriff’s Office asks the public not to approach him. Instead, the public should call the Sheriff’s Dispatch Center at 805-781-4550.

This story was originally published December 7, 2019 at 6:22 PM.