A wanted man with a criminal record stretching back nearly three decades was captured Tuesday night near the Cahto Reservation outside Laytonville, ending a search that pulled Mendocino County deputies away from routine patrol duties for days. Benjamin Austin Miller, who deputies say had been prohibited from possessing firearms because of his prior felony convictions, was taken into custody after authorities say he put up a little bit of resistance before deputies overcame it.
The capture near the reservation followed a tip that Miller was hiding in a creek bed nearby, prompting the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office to respond and search the area with a drone, according to Redheaded Blackbelt. Miller is being booked on outstanding warrants along with a new allegation of felony firearm possession, though the full list of allegations and his booking status was not immediately available. The Cahto Reservation, also known as the Laytonville Rancheria, is a roughly 202-acre tribal homeland about three miles west of Laytonville, according to AAA Native Arts.
Sheriff Matt Kendall had warned the public in the days before Miller's arrest that he could be armed and dangerous, urging residents not to approach him. The station's reporting noted that Miller had altered his appearance since his August 1 booking photo by growing out his hair, though his distinctive neck tattoos remained visible, and that he frequently changes his look to evade detection.
A Standoff, Then a Court Release That Angered the Sheriff
Miller's path to Tuesday's capture began weeks earlier. On July 31, a deputy contacted him near Tomki and Cave Creek roads in Redwood Valley in connection with several burglary investigations, and Miller fled in a Dodge SUV, which deputies later recovered. He was also subject to a misdemeanor warrant alleging destruction of evidence, and a resident reportedly disarmed him before he fled that encounter.
Days later, the Mendo-Lake Regional SWAT Team executed search and arrest warrants at a Willits home on East San Francisco Avenue around 4 a.m. on August 1, taking Miller into custody after a brief standoff, per the same account. Deputies seized multiple firearms and ammunition during that operation. Court records reviewed by MendoLocal.News show Miller's criminal history in Mendocino County spans nearly three decades, including prior felony convictions, state prison sentences, a 2016 felony domestic violence conviction, and a 2024 felony vehicle theft conviction.
Despite that record, Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Victoria Shanahan granted Miller release on his own recognizance on August 7, just six days after the SWAT arrest, MendoLocal.News reported. Sheriff Kendall publicly voiced frustration over that decision, according to the outlet, arguing that diverting patrol deputies and detectives to search for Miller left the department short-staffed to handle standard community calls across the county — a strain compounded by Mendocino County's more than 3,500 square miles and limited deputy staffing.
Alleged Rifle Sighting Sparked the Laytonville Search
The renewed manhunt was triggered on August 15, when Miller's father contacted law enforcement after Miller allegedly violated a court restraining order by coming onto his father's Laytonville-area property while carrying what appeared to be a rifle. Miller fled after his father warned him that law enforcement had been called, the station reported.
Two days later, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office converged on Laytonville after receiving information about Miller's location, and deputies reportedly missed him by only minutes. Law enforcement then conducted a dragnet search near the 2000 block of Branscomb Road and Oak Drive after Miller was spotted running along a creek bed near the rancheria, deploying ground deputies, aircraft, and drones. County authorities issued Nixle emergency alerts warning nearby residents of the law enforcement activity, and the search continued through Laytonville and surrounding areas for several days before ending with Tuesday night's capture.
Potential Charges Ahead
Kendall also expressed concern for deputy safety throughout the search, noting that Miller's long criminal history and past resistance to law enforcement heightened the operational risks for officers in the field, per MendoLocal.News. Under California Penal Code Section 29800 — the felon-in-possession-of-a-firearm law — possessing a firearm with a prior felony conviction is itself a felony punishable by up to three years in state prison or county jail and a fine of up to $10,000, according to Eisner Gorin LLP.
Authorities allegedly found ammunition while executing a search warrant connected to the case, though further details on the charges Miller now faces were not immediately available. As with any pending case, Miller is presumed innocent unless and until found guilty, and the allegations against him have not been proven in court.
