Texas Inmate Convicted of Robbery, Assault Captured After Prison Escape

PLAINVIEW, Texas—A 22-year-old inmate was captured Sunday about 250 miles (400 kilometers) from the West Texas prison he had escaped from hours earlier after climbing over a fence, officials said.

Trent Thompson had last been seen at the Formby Unit in Plainview about 11:14 p.m. Saturday, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said. He was captured about 11:15 a.m. Sunday in Coleman, located southeast of Plainview.

After climbing over a fence at the prison, officials believe that Thompson then stole a vehicle, Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez said.

Thompson had been convicted of three counts of aggravated robbery out of Taylor County and Coleman County, as well as an aggravated assault on a public servant out of Coleman County, the Department of Criminal Justice said. His projected release date was 2052.

He will now face felony escape charges, prison officials said Sunday.

Last year, a grandfather and his four grandsons—whose ages ranged from 11 to 18—were killed at their ranch in Central Texas by a convicted murderer who had escaped from a prison transport bus. The inmate, Gonzalo Lopez, killed the family about three weeks after his escape. He then stole a truck from the ranch and drove it more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) before he was shot to death by police.