Firefighters extinguish wildfire in Walker Co.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Firefighters put out a large wildfire that erupted in Walker County Tuesday afternoon and prompted the evacuation of more than two dozen homes.

Walker County Emergency Management Coordinator Butch Davis said about 65 firefighters battled the fire, which burned 500 acres near Farm Road 230 and Bo Brown Road, north of Huntsville.

About 30 homes in Walker and Houston counties were evacuated, but those residents were given the OK to return to their homes by nighttime.

No one was injured and no buildings were damaged.

It's still unclear what started the fire.

The firefighters who battled this blaze were from several agencies, including the Texas Forest Service, the Walker County VFD and Houston County VFD. The Department of Public Safety also gave volunteer firefighters aerial support.

If you saw the smoke or fire from the fire and took a photo or video, email it to us at news@abc13.com.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here

Walker Co. inmate's escape caught on tape

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- We're getting an inside look at just how a jail inmate managed to escape and the role another inmate may have played in the escape.

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. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more Local »

huntsville, local, jessica willey

View the original article here

Walker County jail fugitive captured in SW Houston

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Investigators have arrested a man who escaped from the Walker County Jail on Tuesday. Trent Archie was finally found here in Houston, and now his mother is in custody, as well.

Under personal escort from the Walker County sheriff Friday, Archie walked slowly back to jail, clearly telling us why he escaped.

"Trent, why did you escape?" we asked.

"I'm not getting a fair trial here in court," he said.

"That's why you decided to run?"

"Yes ma'am," he answered.

Archie escaped from Walker County Jail in Huntsville early Tuesday morning. Authorities say it was a tip that led to Archie being found at a Houston home in the Sharpstown area Thursday night.

Archie was found unarmed and taken into custody after a brief foot chase. Police believe Archie knew someone at the house, but no other arrests were made there.

"He claimed he could hear the search helicopter and the neighborhood dogs barking and, of course, being paranoid under the circumstances, he fled out the rear door," said Walker County Sheriff Clint McRae.

LaToya Wright was arrested this week. She's believed to have helped Archie escape and stashing a getaway car for him.

But it was another arrest at the steps of the jail that took us by surprise.

"Jackie, what's happening? Did you help him?" we asked Archie's mother, Jackie Archie.

"No," she answered.

"Why specifically is the charge?"

"Hindering apprehension," said one of the arresting deputies.

Jackie Archie, say authorities, is accused of helping her son by not providing information that could have led to his arrest. She told us Friday she didn't know where her son was, but did have a message for him.

"I love him and I have his back," she said. "I will do anything possible to make sure he gets legal representation."

The sheriff's office tells us they're reviewing policy after the way Archie escaped. He reportedly was using the phone when he overpowered a guard and got away. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

huntsville, local, cynthia cisneros

View the original article here