Grimes County inmate found in nearby motel after escaping from behavioral hospital
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Grimes County inmate accused of escaping from the Cypress Creek Behavioral Hospital on Monday has been taken back into custody. Still, the fact he was able to remain on the loose for almost 24 hours has raised many questions.
Early Tuesday morning, 36-year-old Scott Evan Shepple was located at a motel at 9797 North Freeway and taken into custody without incident.
Grimes County Sheriff Donald G. Sowell told ABC13 that Shepple broke free from the hospital located on Cali Drive on Houston's northside around 8:45 a.m.
According to the sheriff, Shepple tried to hang himself in his jail cell on Monday morning.
After he de-escalated the suicide attempt, Sheriff Sowell called the MHMR Authority of Brazos Valley.
That agency handles inmate mental health placements for seven rural Texas counties, including Grimes. Sowell says a caseworker arrived at the jail and helped find a mental health bed for Shepple.
"They knew his background, they knew his suicidal tendencies, they knew he made innuendos of suicide by cop, etc.," Sheriff Sowell said.
Shepple was originally arrested for multiple charges, including sexual assault, resisting arrest, and assaulting a peace officer. His most current charge is for allegedly beating up his girlfriend.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Grimes County inmate escapes from Cypress Creek Behavioral Hospital, deputies say
Sheriff Sowell says the case worker found a bed at the Cypress Creek Behavior Hospital, and Grimes County deputies dropped Shepple off there. Sowell believes the hospital is secure and cannot staff it anyway.
"Of course, I do not have the people to sit down there 24/7, weeks at a time," the sheriff said, adding he just does not have the staff. "Lord, no. I'm barely making it as it is."
But somehow, by Monday morning, Sheffle had escaped. After answering ABC13's questions by email on Tuesday, the hospital wouldn't tell us how the escape happened, citing privacy regulations. As of Tuesday night, the sheriff doesn't know either.
"Unfortunately, he took advantage of a weak chain in their operational link," he said.
Sheriff Sowell says this is a common problem for small law enforcement agencies. They can't afford their own mental health facilities in their jails and must rely on private contracts with various healthcare facilities to fill the void.
"It's just the same story. And this just happened even to the circumstances. Thank goodness a few Hail Marys and nobody got hurt," he said.
Rural law enforcement faces challenges different from those in Harris County, where there is a mental health ward inside the jail itself. Mental healthcare is a major component of urban county jails and comes with its own set of challenges.
When inmates in Harris County do need medical treatment, they are generally taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where the sheriff's department has full-time deputies permanently stationed.
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