A man wanted on a felony warrant for aggravated assault on a public servant tried to break free from a Houston County patrol car by kicking out its back window, only to be brought down again by a deputy's Taser. The wild escape attempt unfolded after deputies had already chased him down on foot near Crockett, Texas, and cuffed him with two sets of handcuffs because of his size.
Houston County Sheriff's Office deputies first made contact with the suspect on September 3 while trying to serve the felony warrant in the 100 block of State Highway 7 West near Crockett, according to CBS19. He initially tried to evade arrest by fleeing on foot, but deputies caught up with him after a brief chase. Houston County Sheriff Zak Benge said deputies had to use two sets of handcuffs to restrain him because he stands 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 260 pounds.
Cuffs Slipped to the Front, Then the Window Gave Way
Once inside the patrol vehicle, the outlet's report notes, the suspect managed to slip his double-handcuffed hands from behind his back around to the front of his body. That maneuver gave him enough leverage to break out the back window using his legs, according to video the sheriff's office released showing the escape attempt. From there he tried to make a run for it a second time.
A responding deputy identified by the sheriff as Deputy Cruz chased the suspect during the breakout and deployed a Taser to bring him back under control, the report states. He was then moved into a second patrol vehicle and transported to jail. The confrontation adds a dramatic coda to what began as a routine warrant service on a rural East Texas highway.
Charges Pile Up After the Escape Attempt
Beyond the original felony warrant, the suspect now faces new charges of attempted escape, evading arrest, and destruction of property, per the same account. Escaping or attempting to escape from custody while under arrest for a felony is a third-degree felony under Texas Penal Code § 38.06, according to FindLaw, carrying a potential prison term of two to 10 years and a fine of up to $10,000. Separately, intentionally fleeing on foot from a peace officer attempting a lawful arrest is charged as a Class A misdemeanor under Texas Penal Code § 38.04, according to the Neal Davis Law Firm, punishable by up to a year in county jail and fines as high as $4,000.
Sheriff Zak Benge, who was elected to lead the Houston County Sheriff's Office in November 2024 according to Ballotpedia, is the office's top law enforcement authority overseeing the case in the East Texas county seated in Crockett. The episode illustrates how quickly a single warrant service can multiply into a stack of felony and misdemeanor charges once a detainee resists at every stage, from the initial foot chase to the damaged patrol car window.
