Galveston police received an email saying Barnes had been captured in Dallas. Texas Department of Criminal Justice officials, however, say he is not in custody. Officials were apparently pursuing someone they believed to be Barnes, but he got away.
According to prison officials, officers on a routine check entered Barnes' hospital room Saturday night and noted a hole in the wall. A vent within the wall had been removed, and officers found several blankets that had been tied together, extending to the facility's roof.
Officers have been stationed all over Galveston Island for the last two days, trying to locate Barnes. They have paid close attention to Ball High School, the cruise ship port and abandoned homes where he could hide.
Officials say Barnes was involved in an altercation last week and he sustained injuries to his jaw, which is why he was being treated at the Galveston facility.
Barnes is serving 35 years for several felony convictions including four burglary charges out of Randall County, and three burglary charges, two escape charges and an aggravated assault charge, all out of Potter County.
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