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Reward doubled for dangerous Texas fugitives
Law enforcement believes people helping escapees
AUSTIN, Texas -- A reward of $200,000 is now being offered for the seven armed and dangerous escapees from a Texas prison who were featured on the latest "America's Most Wanted" television show. "There are people in the free world helping them stay hidden and get food and shelter and also in traveling, so we think the reward money, with the television program last night, will entice them to call and turn those people in," said Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Larry Todd. Authorities believe the men are still in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, another department spokesman told CNN.
Glen Castlebury cited intelligence reports indicating the seven have not left the area or the state. He downplayed speculation the men might be contemplating a move this weekend. He said what the department fears most is "a violent outburst by them." "Sooner or later they will move, and when they move they will be dangerous," Castlebury said late Saturday. Law enforcement officers in nearby suburbs are taking precautions. "The night guys, we've put them two to a car ... with a fully automatic MP-5 machine gun," Ferris Police Department Lt. Sherman Swafford told CNN. But Swafford acknowledged that his officers could be vulnerable. "We've got fully automatic weapons, but they do too. In a small town, when you've got two or three officers on, and seven of them, you're still outgunned," Swafford said. The seven escaped December 13 from the Connally Unit near Kenedy, Texas. They have been identified as George Rivas, Larry Harper, Randy Halprin, Donald Newbury, Joseph Garcia, Patrick Murphy Jr. and Michael Rodriguez. The so-called "Texas Seven" were featured on Fox television's "America's Most Wanted" program Saturday evening. A Dallas-based organization called Bond Jumper! said it was putting up an extra $100,000 in reward in return for information leading to the arrest of the fugitives, roughly doubling the existing reward money offered. Memo details escapeCastlebury also acknowledged a department memo, acquired by the press, that detailed events surrounding the convicts' escape. The memo, marked "confidential information for law enforcement only," begins by describing the escape as executed "flawlessly" by a "meticulous plan that involved taking 13 hostages on the unit, gaining access to the unit armory, and stealing a marked state vehicle, all without drawing any attention to themselves." According to the memo, six inmates working in the maintenance unit told their civilian employee supervisors they were going to skip the noon meal at the dining hall and instead have a "spread" -- when each inmate brings commissary-bought food items for a "picnic of sorts." The spread "would have occurred on a work table inside the maintenance shop, which is within the secure perimeters of the prison," Castlebury said. Most of the inmates' supervisors left for lunch. Contrary to some press reports, Castlebury said, one maintenance person did remain behind to watch the prisoners. That man was overpowered by the inmates, Castlebury said. Inmate Rodriguez, who worked for the Inside Yard Squad, joined the other six in the maintenance office. Castlebury also said some press reports incorrectly gave the impression that the inmates enjoyed a leisurely picnic. The meal consisted of food bought on the premises such as sardines and potato chips, he said. A video equipment imposter
When maintenance employees began returning from lunch, one by one, the inmates took them hostage. Eleven people were taken hostage. "All hostages were stripped to their underwear, tied up with wire and ropes, and locked in closets," the memo said. One of the inmates, identifying himself as a maintenance supervisor, called out to the picket officer at a back gate guard tower, which also serves as one of the unit's armories, and said he was sending maintenance personnel and inmates to install video surveillance equipment. Two men wearing street clothes and two inmates carrying toolboxes and video equipment approached the back gate office, where they overpowered the officer there. Three of the men guarded that officer, while the fourth made his way to the picket officer and said he was there to install the video equipment. The officer allowed the inmate, who was wearing street clothing, a cowboy hat and sunglasses, to enter the armory. "The inmate overpowered the officer, taking control of the picket/armory and the perimeter gates," the memo said. The three inmates guarding the maintenance hostages took the keys to a maintenance truck from one of the employees, loaded items from the office onto the truck and met the other four inmates at the back gate. The seven men then loaded weapons and ammunition onto the truck, including 14 Smith and Wesson .357 magnum revolvers, one semiautomatic Colt AR-15 .223 rifle, one Remington 870 pump 12-gauge shotgun and over 200 rounds of ammunition. "The escapees then drove away from the Connally Unit undetected," the memo said. The stolen state truck was recovered behind a Wal-Mart store in nearby Kenedy. The memo said the men were filmed on an automatic teller machine camera talking to and joining the occupants of a dark Chevrolet Cavalier and some of the fugitives were seen getting into a dark-colored sports utility vehicle. The license plate numbers of neither of the vehicles were known, the memo said. Men had good records in prisonWhen asked how the men could have staged such an escape, Castlebury said authorities had no reason to suspect they were considering such a plan. They were minimum custody inmates who to that point had appeared well-behaved, he said. Castlebury said he understands that the media and the public are frustrated by the lack of information. But, he said, "intelligence work" is not disclosed. "There was basically nothing in the editorial content of that memo that we have not already told the media," he said. He said the in-depth investigation of how the escape happened will be completed and made public this coming week, he said. Convicts suspected in officer's murderThe seven fugitives are suspects in the Christmas Eve shooting death of Irving Police Officer Aubrey Hawkins, 29. Hawkins and several other officers responded to a call from an employee at an Oshman's sporting goods store. Irving police said Hawkins entered the rear of the building and apparently confronted the departing suspects, who were identified by a witness as the seven convicts. Genetic evidence indicated that two of the inmates probably were injured during the robbery. Irving police said blood from Hawkins and two other people was found in a vehicle that was stolen at the scene and later abandoned. The Irving Police Department on Friday released sketches of the fugitives, reflecting changes in weight and other characteristics as described by witnesses. The Associated Press & Reuters and Jeff Crilley of CNN Affiliate KDFW contributed to this report. RELATED STORIES: Memo details audacious, well-planned Texas prison escape RELATED SITES: Texas Department of Criminal Justice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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