Editor’s Note: This story was extensively updated with information from a press release issued by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office after we published. (13:08 p.m., August 19, 2026)

Benjamin Austin Miller, 48, the wanted man who has been the focus of an intensive search in the Laytonville area since Monday, was arrested Tuesday night.

Miller was released on his own recognizance on August 7 under court-ordered conditions that barred him from possessing firearms or ammunition and required him to obey all laws.

He was booked into the Mendocino County Jail at 10:27 p.m. Tuesday, according to the county booking log. The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said he is being held without bail on a felony arrest warrant. (This contradicts the jail booking log which said he was being held on $17,500 bond, as we previously reported.)

Sheriff Matt Kendall told Redheaded Blackbelt that two deputies responded to a citizen's tip reporting that Miller was in a creek near the Cahto Reservation.

"They were able to sneak up on him and get him in custody," Kendall said.

Miller "put up a little bit of resistance," but the deputies were able to overcome it, according to Kendall.

In a press release, the Sheriff's Office said deputies searching south of Lucas Lane in Laytonville at about 8 p.m. Tuesday heard movement in a wooded area near a creek. They entered the area and found Miller lying on the ground with a loaded .22-caliber rifle within his immediate reach.

Deputies ordered Miller to surrender, but he did not comply and instead tried to walk past them, according to the Sheriff's Office. Deputies then took him into custody after a brief struggle.

Search Began Monday

The search for Miller began early Monday morning after deputies received a report that he was attempting to enter a Laytonville residence while carrying a .22-caliber rifle, according to the Sheriff's Office.

An active restraining order barred Miller from being on the property.

A reporting party told deputies that Miller entered the home looking for a flashlight before leaving ahead of their arrival. Over the next several hours, the Sheriff's Office received multiple reports of Miller being seen around Laytonville, but deputies were unable to locate him.

Later Monday, multiple Sheriff's Office units converged on the area after receiving information about Miller's location. Deputies again failed to apprehend him and reportedly missed him by only a few minutes.

Two arrest warrants were issued for Miller that same morning after he failed to appear in court on two previous cases.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Miller was booked on the two outstanding warrants as well as new charges of first-degree burglary; being a felon in possession of a firearm; possession of ammunition by a prohibited person; committing a felony while out on his own recognizance; resisting, delaying or obstructing a peace officer; loitering on private property; violating a court order; and two counts of contempt of court.

The warrants stem from Miller's failure to appear in his two open cases — 26CR11459, a felony, and 26CR11176, a misdemeanor. Both cases are before Judge Victoria Shanahan.

The Sheriff's Office thanked Laytonville residents who reported sightings and provided information that helped deputies locate Miller and take him into custody safely.

As of Wednesday, no court date had been set on the new charges.

The allegations against Miller have not been proven in court. He is presumed innocent unless and until found guilty.

This account draws on Mendocino County Sheriff's Office press release, an interview with Sheriff Matt Kendall on August 17, reporting by Kym Kemp of Redheaded Blackbelt, the Mendocino County booking log, and Mendocino County Superior Court records reviewed by MendoLocal.News.