|
The not so great escape
Sheriff’s deputies capture jail inmates after minutes
of freedom
Published Thursday, August 26, 2004
By Brian Knox
A jail escape attempt by two inmates Monday ended quickly
with the arrest of four people.
Just after 5 p.m., inmates Damon Chapman, 43, of Springtown and Billy
Holmes, 33, overpowered detention officer Lisa Severns and a jail trustee
as they were serving dinner at the Wise County Jail.
According to Chief Deputy David Walker, Severns opened the door to serve
dinner to a group of six inmates when Chapman and Holmes pushed their way
out of the cell, down a hallway and out a door that led to outside the
building where work is being done on the jail expansion project.
The jail trustee serving the food and another jail trustee ran after Holmes
and tackled him just outside of the building, Walker said. He was quickly
taken back into custody.
Chapman started running into a field just to the east of the sheriff’s
department toward a residential neighborhood. Several officers, including
Sheriff Doug Whitehead and several investigators who were driving by at the
time, and construction workers noticed a man in the black and white striped
outfit trying to escape and gave chase. Several inmate trustees working
outside also joined the pursuit, and Chapman was chased down in the field
and taken into custody.
The escape apparently had been planned in advance, Walker said.
Officers noticed a car driving by slowly with two people watching what was
taking place and followed the car into the residential neighborhood in the
direction where Chapman was running. Inside the car they found Hollie
Dennis, 19, who authorities said is Chapman’s girlfriend.
She and the driver of the car, Michael Tennyson, 44, were both arrested
after officers found a change of clothes and deodorant in the car. They
have been charged with facilitating an escape, a third-degree felony. Both
were taken to the Wise County Jail and are being held in lieu of $250,000
bond each.
“They had it planned in advance,” Walker said. “They had made calls to
family members. There will probably be more arrests over the next few days
as we study the phone records.”
Walker said Severns and the other inmates involved in the pursuit were
not injured.
Chapman and Holmes were both charged with escaping from a correctional
institution, a third-degree felony.
Chapman was convicted last week by a Wise County jury for possession and
manufacturing of methamphetamine and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Holmes was arrested July 21 for possession of marijuana five to 50 pounds
and other drug-related charges. His total bond now stands at $500,000.
After being taken into custody, Chapman began making comments about wanting
to kill himself so he was placed under a suicide watch and placed in
confinement, Walker said. Chapman was taken to the hospital after
repeatedly banging his head against the wall, Walker said. He was treated
and returned to the jail Monday night.
Walker said the escape was discussed during the weekly jail construction
meeting Tuesday.
“We’ll walk through the escape and make corrections or changes where
needed,” he said.
He assured the public that the jail is secure and construction crews are
very mindful of security while they work on the jail expansion.
Residents along Meadow-brook Court had a front-row view of the events as
several patrol cars lined the street where Dennis and Tennyson were parked.
Meadowbrook resident Jay Bearden said he knew something was going on when
his wife told his children to come inside.
“It seemed like every law enforcement officer in the county showed up and
blocked the cul-de-sac,” he said. “I saw a girl (Dennis) talking on the
phone, talking I guess to her mom, saying, ‘They’re taking me to jail and I
haven’t done anything.’ ”
Bearden said officers assured neighborhood residents that a head count had
been taken to make sure all of the inmates had been accounted for, and they
would perform another head count as a precaution.
|