28-year-old inmate who escaped from Indian Springs found 12 hours later

An inmate who escaped from the Southern Desert Correctional Center in Indian Springs was found Monday morning, about 20 miles away and 12 hours after he was reported missing.

Inmate Juan Alvarez was reported missing from the prison about 10:30 p.m. Sunday and was found near a convenience store at 9:45 a.m. Monday, said Suzanne Pardee, a spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Corrections.

The 28-year-old inmate, who was serving a two- to 10-year sentence for robbery, was caught after staff at the convenience store spotted him, she said.

"He was hot, tired and on foot," she said.

The prison is about 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

A preliminary investigation shows Alvarez escaped through "human error," Pardee said.

The corrections department wouldn't go into detail on what the human error was.

"We will not be releasing further information until the investigation is complete," she said.