Check Traffic

Check Traffic
Live Cameras, Conditions

°

Homepage / Houston News
Text Size

Inmate In Fatal Escape Caught Hiding In Tree

Guard Killed During Escape

POSTED: Monday, September 24, 2007
UPDATED: 6:11 pm CDT September 24, 2007

Two prison inmates working in a field stole a vehicle and ran over a guard Monday, killing her and sparking an intense manhunt that lasted more than two hours before they were caught, KPRC Local 2 reported.


Slideshow: Huntsville Inmate Escape
Video: Team Coverage: Huntsville Shuts Down After Prison Break
Video: Watch Breaking News Report On Escapee Caught

Department of Public Safety officials said prisoners Jerry Martin and John Ray Falk escaped from the Wynne Unit at about 10:30 a.m.

Martin, 37, and Falk, 40, were working in a field at the prison along Interstate 45 when they apparently overpowered an officer supervising them, took her weapons and stole a Huntsville city vehicle that was nearby.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Michelle Lyons said the guard, Susan Canfield, 59, was run over during the escape. She died at the scene.

Falk was caught within an hour after the escape, but Martin remained on the loose for more than two hours before he was apprehended. Authorities said he was hiding in a tree.

"We had a group of tracking dogs that actually came from the Wynne Unit where they escaped that located him. He was in the area just north of Smither Road in Huntsville, and was actually up in the tree when dogs found him. They alerted to him and we were able to bring him down," Lyons said.

Armed prison officers on horseback and aided by barking bloodhounds were involved in the search for Martin, along with numerous other state and local law enforcement agencies. A state police helicopter also combed the site.

Investigators said the men also carjacked a woman outside a Guaranty Bank. Her red pickup truck was found a short time later.

Martin has been serving a sentence of 50 years since 1997 for two counts of attempted capital murder in Collin County.

Based on his good disciplinary record in prison, Martin was classified as a minimum security inmate and assigned to do field work outside the prison under the supervision of officers.

"He will be facing felony escape charges at the very least," Lyons said. She said Martin did not appear to be hurt.

According to a report published in the Dallas Morning News in 1994, Martin fired a .38-caliber revolver at several sheriff's deputies and state troopers during a standoff.

Falk has been serving a life prison sentence since July 1986 after being convicted of murder out of Matagorda County.

The Wynne Unit, established in 1883, is one of the oldest in the Texas prison system. It holds about 2,600 inmates of various custody levels. The unit is about 80 miles north of Houston and shares about 1,500 acres with two other prisons that straddle the main freeway between Houston and Dallas.

Canfield had been a correctional officer for about seven years.
Text Size

Sponsored Links

Links We Like
Sponsored Content
Don’t believe everything people tell you about home improvement. Check out the top 4 myths and stop throwing away your money. More

If you have aspirations of becoming a millionaire, check out these five habits that may be worth emulating. More

Eating breakfast is good for you, but eating a healthy breakfast is even better. Get the scoop on which breakfast foods are the most nutritious. More

You’ve heard of certain foods that can help you prevent cancer and even halt the spread of the disease. Find out if these anti-cancer foods really work. More

Most Popular