Stockton Man Sentenced for Escaping from Mendota Federal Correctional Institution

FRESNO, Calif. – In a shocking turn of events, Michael Paul Thompson, 32, of Stockton, was sentenced to 13 months in prison for escaping from the custody of a federal correctional institution, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

Thompson, who was serving a 10-year sentence for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, managed to escape from the Federal Correctional Institution–Mendota on October 12, 2011. Court documents revealed that Thompson had been convicted in June 2010 for his role in the methamphetamine conspiracy.

Mandatory Facts:

Defendant: Michael Paul Thompson

Criminal Charges: Conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine

City and State: Stockton, California

Date: October 12, 2011 (escape), March 29, 2013 (arrest), March 29, 2013 (sentencing)

Sentence: 13 months in prison

According to court documents, Thompson was apprehended in Stockton on March 29, 2013, after leading police officers on a 20-minute high-speed chase that reached speeds of 100 mph in moderate-to-heavy traffic.

The reckless endangerment during the chase required police officers to undertake physical intervention, resulting in major damage to one police vehicle.

This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Stockton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Baker prosecuted the case.

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