OLMITO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — An inmate temporarily escaped custody Tuesday at Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center in Olmito.
“A male inmate incarcerated at Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center managed to elude security measures in the recreational area of CRDC but was apprehended quickly after breaching the last security fence,” the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office tweeted shortly after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
All inmates are accounted for and pose no danger to the community, the sheriff’s office stated.
The inmate was identified as 32-year-old Oscar Ulises Lopez Castro.
Castro has been at the Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center since October for evading arrest and or detention, according to the sheriff’s office.
Cameron County Sheriff Eric Garza says that attempted escapee, along with two other inmates, were in the recreational grounds – a minimum security area – before Castro passed both security gates.
“One of the jailers called it in; transport was dispatched. They caught him right here. We are looking at the security footage,” Garza said. “As you can see from the fence, a lot of maintenance hasn’t been done at the Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center for quite some time so as always, we have to look at what hasn’t been done and upgrade our security measures.”
As the public was alerted by the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page, residents living near the detention center voiced the concerns.
“I was supposed to take my son to the park today. And that didn’t happen because I was too scared to go out there because we’re so close. It’s like right there around the corner, so it’s scary,” Yvanava Esperanza Ruiz, a concerned citizen that resides near the facility said.
Not only did this concern residents living nearby, but it also raised questions as to whether the detention center is even secure enough to prevent situations like these in the future.
“They should have a better monitoring system, and they should be on top of that,” Ruiz adds. “They should be checking out the inmates making sure that they’re not up to anything. You should be able to keep a little jail detention center under control.”
During a preliminary interview, the inmate mentioned that he “just wanted to go home.” He was taken back to custody and charged with escape.
The investigation is ongoing.
Previous escapes from Cameron County custody
Recent escapes include the following, according to news archives:
- April 20, 2009, an inmate escaped from the Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center after he was released while wearing the bracelet of another inmate who was scheduled for release, local news archives show.
- June 6, 2017, an inmate escaped from custody while being taken to the dentist. Using a shank made from a toothbrush and razor, inmate Miguel Garcia reportedly slashed the transportation officer’s neck, took the service gun, swam a resaca and killed a Brownsville man in front of the man’s family and friends. The inmate then stole the family’s 2014 Hyundai Elantra and fled. After a high-speed pursuit ended in the San Benito area, the inmate was shot by law enforcement, was seriously injured and died at a Harlingen hosptial.
