ah Crap...or Texas Inmate Escapes From Prison Van

GALVESTON, Texas - State prison officials were hunting Tuesday for an inmate who escaped who from a prison van that was taking him to a corrections system hospital.

Carlos Kidd, serving a 10-year sentence for a Milam County aggravated assault conviction, was put into the van for the 35-mile trip from the Ramsey I unit in Brazoria County to the hospital in Galveston. But he was discovered missing when the van arrived.

"We believe he's in Galveston," Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Michelle Lyons said. "We're focusing the majority of our search there. The people of Galveston need to be aware and on the lookout."

Kidd, 25, was not believed to be armed, but Lyons said he should be considered dangerous.

"Obviously if he's escaped, he's not going to want to be apprehended again," she said.

Authorities were notified of the disappearance about 2 a.m.

Galveston officers and state troopers were helping prison officials in the search. The TDCJ inspector general's office was looking into the cause of the escape.

Lyons said Kidd complained of feeling ill early Tuesday, was placed in restraints and loaded into the van for the trip to Galveston. When the van arrived, guards found the restraints — but no Kidd, Lyons said.

Kidd had been in prison since January 2002 and would have been eligible for parole in next September.