A Grimes County inmate who escaped custody while awaiting trial has received the maximum prison sentence after pleading guilty to aggravated assault and escape.
Albino Hernandez Guerrero, 52, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and escape, receiving 10 years for each offense to be served concurrently.
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Guerrero was initially arrested on July 23, 2021, after attacking a man with a knife in Grimes County. Investigators said the victim, who was dating a woman previously in a relationship with Guerrero, sustained a deep laceration that required hospitalization.
Guerrero was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony, and booked into the Grimes County Jail. On September 13, 2023, while working as a kitchen trustee at the Grimes County Jail, Guerrero escaped by walking out of the jail sallyport.
BACKGROUND: Grimes County authorities recapture inmate who walked off while working as kitchen trustee
Jail staff failed to notice his absence for more than two hours, triggering an urgent manhunt involving local law enforcement, TDCJ dog teams, and drones. Guerrero was captured later that evening near the 5400 block of State Highway 90 in Navasota, thanks to tips from residents who spotted him.
Grimes County Sheriff Don Sowell acknowledged the escape was due to human error, saying, “We dropped the ball. It’s as simple as that. The buck stops with me.”
Guerrero pleaded guilty to both charges on Dec. 11, 2024. He was sentenced to 10 years for each offense, with the sentences running concurrently.
District Attorney’s Statement Grimes County District Attorney Andria Bender issued a statement emphasizing the seriousness of Guerrero’s actions: “Albino Guerrero violently attacked a victim and then planned and succeeded in escaping the Grimes County Jail. Many man-hours and a substantial amount of tax dollars were spent on Guerrero’s capture—resources that could have been used to serve victims of crime and enforce the law. Our office felt strongly that only a maximum sentence was appropriate for the escape.”