March 29, 1979
Kevin Wayne Steele,18, being held in the Presidio County Jail awaiting transfer to the Texas Department of Corrections for confinement on a charge of murder, escaped from jail last Friday night along with three other prisoners. Presidio County officers were alerted by other prisoners at 8:55 p.m. and told that Steele, Rito Aguilar Juarez, 17; Fernando Fuentes Rios and Manuel Tenazas Carrillo had gone out through a small vent and escaped.
The vent is located eight to ten feet above the bunks in the main cell of the jail. All area officers were alerted and road blocks were thrown up throughout the Davis Mountain-Big Bend area. Officers searched through the night finding foot tracks of Steele leading east from Marfa through Sal Si Puedes and into the ranch land. Early Saturday morning searching officers were able to track Steele to an area near the Paisano Baptist Encampment on U. S. Highway 90 east of Marfa. Steele was spotted hiding in some rocks and was taken into custody by officers at about 8 a.m. and returned to jail in Marfa. Juarez, Rios and Carrillo were reported to have stolen a pickup from the W. B. Blakemore San Estaben Ranch off Ranch Road 169 south of Marfa.
Continuing their search, officers located the pickup abandoned Sunday near the railroad bridge over the Rio Grande at Presidio. Officers believe the three escaped to Mexico. Juarez and Rios were being held on a charge of burglary of the Munoz Grocery in Shafter on March 9 and Carrillo was being held as an illegal alien.
Steele had been charged and convicted for the February 11 slaying of Horace Ray DeYampert at a roadside park west of Marfa. DeYampert was a school teacher in Presidio. Steele pleaded guilty in 83rd District Court before Judge William H. Earney on March 5 after waiving trial by jury. Steele had been sentenced Friday by Judge Earney to serve not less than five nor more than 50 years confinement in the Texas Department of Corrections and was to be held in Presidio County Jail until he could be transferred to the TDC. Steele had waived right of appeal and his confinement on the sentence was started with the February date of his original confinement.
Steele is now charged with felony jail escape while Juarez and Rios have been charged with felony jail escape and auto theft. Carrillo has been charged with misdemeanor jail escape. Presidio County Sheriff Rick Thompson said this week that he sincerely apologized to people of Presidio County for the worry and anxiety caused by the incident. “I know it was a strain on all the citizens to know that a convicted killer was loose and I do apologize. But, I do want to thank all the citizens for their great cooperation with the law enforcement officers by offering help and information that helped us get the man back in custody.
Steele has been taken to Huntsville to serve out his term, Thompson said. “We had the cooperation of all the officers in the area and we are very grateful for their help. We had Border Patrol people from all over the area working with us as well as officers from the state Game Department from Marfa, Fort Davis, Alpine and Van Horn. We had sheriff’s officers from Alpine, Fort Davis, and Van Horn, city police officers from Marfa, Alpine and Van Horn, Department of Public Safety officers from Marfa, Fort Davis, Van Horn and Alpine, Texas Rangers from Alpine and Midland and the use of the Department of Public Safety helicopter and we are very grateful to all of them and to the citizenry that came to our aid,” Thompson said.