An inmate who escaped from a west central Texas prison was recaptured several hundred miles away a few hours after allegedly jumping one of the prison’s fences.
Trent Thompson, 22, was last seen at Plainview’s Formby Unit around 11 p.m. Saturday, per the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
TDCJ Spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez told CBS News the department believes Thompson jumped the fence, stole a vehicle, and drove to Coleman, where he was subsequently recaptured about 12 hours after his escape. Coleman is located in Central Texas, about 250 miles southeast of Plainview.
Thompson apparently returned to a familiar location, having been convicted of aggravated assault of a public servant and aggravated robbery in Coleman County. He has also been convicted of aggravated robbery in Taylor County. Before the escape, Thompson’s predicted release date was 2052.
Now, Thompson will face additional felony escape charges, which will likely substantially increase his sentence.
Some West Texas residents expressed concern about the situation after the TDCJ announced Thompson’s apprehension on Twitter.
Derenda Hicks, a Plainview resident, tweeted that she could hear helicopters over the town the night Thompson escaped.
“Wow, I live by Plainview. This Saturday night I was sitting outside and helicopters was [sic] flying out all around me, I didn’t know about this, I got in the house knowing something was going on.”
Texas prisons have seen a number of prison breaks over the past several years.
Gonzalo Lopez, a convicted murderer, escaped from a Leon facility last year, as reported by The Dallas Express. Lopez allegedly murdered a grandfather and four grandsons on a Central Texas ranch about three weeks after his escape. After reportedly killing the family and stealing their truck to flee, Lopez was shot and killed by police.
Twitter user Henry McCarty responded to the TDCJ’s announcement tweet with his own, calling out the trend of escapees.
“Yet another gonzalo lopez…Texas got a habit of losing ‘inmates.'”
