The sound of hound dogs barking fills the air as law enforcement officers from Live Oak County, Atascosa County, DPS, Border Patrol, and the Game Wardens, to name a few, continue the search for escaped inmate Jake Childers. Heavy overcast skies keep the helicopters grounded for now.
Sources say Childers appears to be holed up east of Campbellton, a small town in Atascosa County, Texas, roughly fifty miles south of San Antonio. Throughout the night, multiple law enforcement agencies patrolled a perimeter around the area. Today, the search continues. Residents in the area should keep their doors locked and not leave keys in vehicles.
Photo: Facebook/City of George West
Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward is warning all county residents to be on the lookout for Jake Childers who escaped from a Live Oak County Sheriff’s patrol unit near the Live Oak County Jail in George West on Christmas Eve. At the time of his escape, he was barefoot, with shackles on his ankles and chains around his waist, and wearing an orange jumpsuit.
Since that time he has found other clothing and stolen a 1997 white Ford F350 4-door pickup. The stolen pickup truck has been recovered but several weapons that had been stored in the vehicle have not.
Photo: Facebook/Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office
Authorities in Atascosa County have reason to believe he is in Atascosa County looking for someone to help him. Childers may still have the portions of the handcuffs on each wrist and may be attempting to conceal them with long sleeves. He is 5’5″, 155 pounds, and is 36 years old but appears to be older. He has brown hair and green eyes.
Childers, prior to his arrest in November, closed down I-37 near George West when he took shots at officers coming to arrest him. He fled into a mobile home where it was believed he held hostages. When officers finally breached the premises, the home was empty. A hole was discovered cut into the floor of the home allowing Childers to escape into the surrounding brush.
Live Oak County Sheriff Larry Busby advises everyone to consider Childers armed and extremely dangerous. Authorities warn citizens not to approach Childers. Instead call 9-1-1 if anyone suspicious is noticed in the area.
