Walker Co. inmate's escape caught on tape
Three camera angles captured the June 28 escape. Investigators believe it was all planned and it started with Trent Archie and another inmate, Davis McLeskey, on the phone. For more than 20 minutes, they kept their heads down. McLeskey, they now say, wasn't even talking to anyone.
"I'm coming to get you," a jailer is heard saying on the video.
Then when a male jailer opens the door, the two inmates rush into the booking office. They punch, kick and push a total of three jailers, including two women. Archie manages to slip through to freedom.
But after a struggle, McLeskey's shirt is gone and his hands back in cuffs.
"I'm not getting a fair trial in this court," Archie told us when he was captured three days later.
Archie was arrested at a Sharpstown-area home in the early morning hours of July 1. Since then, his mother has been arrested, as well as his girlfriend, Latoya Wright, and another woman. All are accused of helping him.
Walker County Sheriff Clint McCrae believes the video shows no policy violations, but admits the age of his jail makes them vulnerable.
"We are fortunate to pass inspection every year, but we're grandfathered. There needs to be some other security measures in place and all that right now is actually being analyzed," McCrae said.
So is the video, to prevent future escapes.
Archie was in jail on a drug charge but also awaiting word on an appeal in a murder case. The Walker County Sheriff's Office says he lost that appeal. He is now in prison serving a 40-year sentence.
McLeskey was in jail for burglary and stealing a car. He now faces new charges related to the escape attempt.