ANGLETON, Texas — Kidanny Robles, 33, has been taken back into custody after escaping a trusty camp in Angleton, Texas Saturday night, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said.
TDCJ staff found Robles about three miles from where he escaped. Residents in the neighborhood watched several deputies and officers search for Robles.
"[We] found out they tried to get into one of our neighbor's house and came," one neighbor told KHOU. "They found him in a guest house of a friend and neighbor of ours. So, yeah, it was pretty scary."
Amanda Hernandez, the director of communications for TDCJ, said officers learned around 9:30 a.m. that he had gone into a home in the area. Search dogs also picked up Robles' scent in the area.
When officers located Robles, TDCJ said officers ordered him to stop, but he ignored them. A TDCJ captain shot the inmate in the arm and he was taken back into custody. He was reportedly taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
TDCJ believes that Robles acted on his own. It's not clear how he escaped. That is still under investigation.
"We think all of our normal processes and protocols were followed. We think he just walked away," Amanda Hernandez with TDCJ said. "Being in a trusty camp is different than being in a normal prison, right? We think that’s just what happened."
Hernandez said they will continue to investigate and make improvements if needed.
Robles will face felony escape charges.
Below is video shot by a KHOU 11 viewer who witnessed officers running after the inmate. Gunshots and yelling can be heard in the background.
Brazoria County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Ian Patin said his department helped TDCJ and Texas DPS in the search for Robles. He said BCSO will lead the investigation into Robles' actions after he escaped.
According to Patin, there's no evidence that Robles had any help escaping.
TDCJ said they noticed the inmate was missing from the Clemens Unit trusty camp in Angleton during a routine count around midnight Sunday morning. Before that, TDCJ said he had last been seen at 10:30 p.m. Robles had reportedly walked away from the camp. He was found less than 12 hours after he was noticed missing.
According to the department, the trusty camp is a housing location outside the main prison that has a lower level of supervision.
The inmate was serving a 20-year sentence for aggravated robbery, robbery and burglary of a habitat in addition to a 180-day sentence for possession of a controlled substance, according to the department. He had previously been released on parole in 2021, but was returned to state custody for violating it in 2023.
Watch the update authorities gave after Robles was taken back into custody:
Third time an inmate in Brazoria County has escaped in 8 months
This marks the third escaped inmate from Brazoria County in 8 months.
In October 2023, a man serving a sentence for a non-violent crime also walked away from the camp in the city of Brazoria. The man in that case was recaptured less than 12 hours after he walked away.
In December 2023, a man serving a life sentence for continuous sexual abuse of a child escaped from the main prison. He was recaptured less than a day later.
Visitations canceled
Due to the escape, TDCJ has canceled visitations at the Clemens, Memorial, Stringfellow, Ramsey and Terrell units for Sunday.