Texas authorities detain escaped convict, 34, who carved through a jail’s brick wall to flee after the man’s FATHER called police from his repair shop when his son attempted to hide there
- Jace Martin Laws, 34, was found at the Laws Collision Repair off of US 271 in Smith County at approximately 9.34am on Friday
- The shop is owned by the man’s father, Joel Laws
- Gladewater resident had been sentenced to 70 years behind bars for two counts of assault on a police officers
- Laws carved out portions of the brick in the Gregg County South Jail to escape from the facility
- Judge Kennedy set Laws’ bail for $1million and charged him with escape while in custody
- Laws is currently awaiting trial at the Gregg County Jail
Authorities in Texas have recaptured an escaped inmate who carved through a brick wall to flee a local jail on Thursday – thanks to a call from his father.
Jace Martin Laws, 34, was found at the Laws Collision Repair off of US 271 in Smith County at approximately 9.34am on Friday. The shop is owned by the man’s father, Joel Laws.
According to the Thursday release from the Gregg County Sheriff’s Department, the Gladewater resident had been sentenced to 70 years behind bars for two counts of assault on a police officers.
Jace Martin Laws, 34, was found at the Laws Collision Repair off of US 271 in Smith County at approximately 9.34am on Friday
The shop is owned by the man’s father, Joel Laws.
The release states that the 34-year-old ‘carved out portions of the brick in the Gregg County South Jail, gaining access to the building infrastructure, and making his way to the exterior Gregg County Courthouse,’ where he then escaped.
On Friday, Laws – a repeat offender – was taken to the Smith County Courthouse where he was arraigned by Judge Christi Kennedy.
Judge Kennedy set Laws’ bail at $1million and charged him with escape while in custody. Laws is currently awaiting trial at the Gregg County Jail.
The Gregg County Criminal District Attorney’s Office shared in an October post that Laws had groped two officers in their genitals when they were attempting to arrest him.
The Facebook post details that Laws has had two previous felony convictions – one for aggravated robbery and the other for felony theft.
According to the Thursday release from the Gregg County Sheriff’s Department, the 34-year-old ‘carved out portions of the brick in the Gregg County South Jail, gaining access to the building infrastructure, and making his way to the exterior Gregg County Courthouse,’ where he then escaped
The Gregg County Criminal District Attorney’s Office shared in an October post that Laws had groped two officers in their genitals when they were attempting to arrest him
They added, at the time, that he was a suspect in several burglary, theft and evading cases ‘pending in Gregg County.’
When reports came in that Laws had been apprehended again, the DA’s Facebook page appeared to celebrate the news in a cheeky post.
They said: ‘Now he has to face us again! He could face 20 stacked on top of his previous sentence!’
When reports came in that Laws had been apprehended again, the DA’s Facebook page appeared to celebrate the news in a cheeky post