Texas Department of Criminal Justice suspends inmate transport

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has temporarily halted its transportation of inmates after an escaped convict killed a grandfather and his four grandsons at their Centerville ranch. According to an agency statement, transportation will be suspended pending a thorough review of transportation procedures. “If it becomes necessary to do a transport such as releasing or an emergency medical appointment, additional security measures will be implemented,” the agency said. The move came after State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, called on the agency to suspend the transportation of violent inmates on Texas roads until there are “failproof safeguards.”

“While the investigation continues into exactly what happened with the recent escape and tragic murder of the five members of the Collins family, we must act swiftly to ensure no other Texan is in danger of losing their life or being harmed by an escaped inmate being transported on Texas roads," Whitmire said. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice also said that it is conducting both an internal review and will be bringing in an outside firm to investigate how it was possible that Gonzalo Lopez, 46, who was serving a life sentence and was transported in a special caged area, escaped a prison transport bus. Lopez freed himself from his hand and leg restraints while being transported in May to a medical appointment, attacked the driver, and cut through a metal cage in the bus before crawling out.