Texas Authorities On Manhunt After Two Inmates Escape

[News_Editor]

<p>SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS (BNO NEWS) -- Authorities in northeastern Texas have launched a manhunt for two prisoners who escaped from a local jail, causing panic among locals, officials said on Wednesday as they investigated a possible connection to a car and gun theft in the area.

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<p>The two inmates, 45-year-old capital murder suspect Brian Allen Tucker of Sulphur Springs, and 40-year-old burglary and drug suspect John Marlin King of Cumby, escaped the Hopkins County Jail in Sulphur Springs at around 8:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday morning. The area is around 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Dallas.

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<p>The men were outside in a recreation yard that is secured with a chain-link fence, but investigators believe they were able to manipulate the joint where it comes together, unscrew the bolts and pry the fencing back, allowing them to escape. Only one guard was watching the men, who had been segregated from other inmates because of the types of crimes they allegedly committed.

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<p>Deputy Alvin Jordan of the Hopkins County Sheriff's Department called on locals to be on 'high alert' as authorities consider both escapees to be 'highly dangerous.' Local schools in Sulphur Springs were on lockdown on both Tuesday and Wednesday as authorities continued their manhunt.

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<p>Concern increased late Wednesday afternoon when police responded to a house break-in on Houston Street in Sulphur Springs, just a few minutes from the county jail. The residents reported that their black 2010 Saturn Vue was stolen along with a .22-caliber gun, and police said they were confident that the escapees were responsible.

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<p>Officials have urged residents not to approach the men and instead call 911, and warned that anyone caught helping the men will be prosecuted. Tucker, who is 5-foot-7 (1.70 meter) tall and weighs approximately 170 pounds (77 kilograms), is suspected of strangling someone to death during a 2011 robbery. King was described as being 5-foot-8 (1.72 meter) tall and weighing around 165 pounds (74 kilograms).

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