Texas inmate serving life for sexual abuse of child escapes prison, authorities say

A manhunt is underway in Texas for a convicted sex offender who escaped from prison on Sunday, authorities said.

Robert Yancy Jr., 39, escaped at about 3:38 p.m. from the Clemens Unit in Brazoria, where he was serving a life sentence without parole for continuous sexual abuse of a child out of Victoria County, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said. 

Yancy was last seen in a white Nissan Versa with his mother, Lenor Priestle, the Brazoria County Pct. 4 Constable’s Office said in a post on social media.

Deputies immediately entered the vehicle’s license plate into a state-wide license plate reader system and got a hit at around 6:09 p.m., indicating the vehicle was in Victoria County, where authorities say Priestle has an address.

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“All information obtained at this point leads us to believe Yancy is no longer in Brazoria County,” the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office said.

Just before 8:30 p.m., the Victoria Police Department said officers stopped a white Nissan in the 100 block of Sam Houston Drive in connection with the escaped inmate. 

A female driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, had an outstanding felony warrant related to Yancy’s escape, police said. She was taken into custody, though police did not immediately release her identity.

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Yancy’s whereabouts were not immediately known. He was last seen wearing a black beanie and a black sweater.

Police warned the public not to approach Yancy and instead to contact local law enforcement.

Authorities asked anyone with information about Yancy’s whereabouts to contact the Office of Inspector General at 1-800-832-8477.