Grimes County inmate escapes from Cypress Creek Behavioral Hospital, deputies say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A large manhunt is underway for a Grimes County inmate who escaped from the Cypress Creek Behavioral Hospital sometime Monday morning.

The Grimes County Sheriff told ABC13 inmate Scott Evan Shepple broke free from the hospital located on Cali Drive in Houston around 8:45 a.m.

According to the sheriff, Shepple tried to hang himself in his jail cell Monday morning.

After the sheriff de-escalated that suicide attempt, Shepple was transported to the hospital from the Grimes County Jail, where he had been in custody since his arrest in December 2024.

Shepple was arrested for multiple charges, including sexual assault, resisting arrest, and assaulting a peace officer. His most current charge is allegedly beating up his girlfriend.

Authorities said Shepple is suicidal, has violent tendencies, and has mentioned "suicide by cop."

The Harris County Sheriff's Office says an off-duty deputy spotted a man matching Shepple's description walking north along the service road of I-45 around 11:30 a.m. on Monday.

At that time, the deputy was unaware that Shepple was an escaped inmate. The deputy called in that sighting as soon as he became aware that Shepple was missing.

Authorities say Shepple has active warrants out of Grimes County and Brazos County and is known to have contacts in Grimes County, Trinity County, and Walker County.

Deputies described Shepple as a bald, white man with blue eyes, about 5 feet 5 inches tall, and weighing about 175 lbs.

Investigators said he has multiple tattoos on his head and neck. He was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt and dark gray pants.

In a late afternoon news conference, authorities say they do not know whether Shepple walked out the front door of the facility or perhaps he scaled a fence. Grimes County says it has used the facilities before to treat other inmates with mental health issues. In Harris County, inmates in similar situations would be treated inside the jail because the county has its own mental health facility.

Many smaller Texas counties do not have similar resources.

If you have any information, please contact the Grimes County Sheriff's Office at 936-873-2151, Grimes County CrimeStoppers at (936) 873-2000, or through an online tip.

For news updates, follow Miya Shay on Facebook, X and Instagram.