HCSO: Suspect back in custody after morning escape

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A convicted felon who had a brief taste of freedom this morning after an escape in northwest Harris County is back in custody.

According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, John Randy Newkirk, 20, was still in handcuffs when he escaped from the substation on Clay Road near Highway 6.

Newkirk was out on parole, but was arrested this morning on DWI. After that arrest, he was in the intake area and managed to escape and run out of the building. A sheriff's deputy ran after him, but was unable to catch up.

Newkirk has a parole violation, and is a convicted felon. Deputies say Newkirk initially falsely identified himself, but they were able to identify him using fingerprints.

Harris County Sheriff's Office Deputy Thomas Gilliland said, "Preliminary investigation shows that once he was brought into the substation, he was placed on a bench, handcuffed. ... Somehow he was placed in a small holding area. The deputy who was doing the processing left the area, went to another part to take care of some paperwork, came back, at that point Mr. Newkirk left that room, went down a hall, and exited a side door. Again, handcuffed in the front and fled from the building to the subdivision...to the north of here in Glencairn."

At this point, we don't have details of how he was captured after his escape. We'll post new details as soon as we have them.