Fugitive convicted sex offender captured after escaping Texas prison

The manhunt for a convicted sex offender who escaped from a Texas prison over the weekend has ended.

Authorities captured Robert Yancy Jr. in Matagorda County, Texas, just after 8 a.m. Monday, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said. He'll now face felony escape charges.

The department also announced the arrest of two others who they believe played a part in Yancy's escape: his mother, Leonor Priestle, and Russell Williams, whose relationship to Yancy is unknown at this time. Priestle has been charged with permitting/facilitating an escape, and Williams faces a criminal intent to escape charge.

State officials shared they were searching for Yancy Sunday afternoon after he escaped the Clemens Unit prison in Brazoria, Texas — about 60 miles south of Houston.

He had last been seen in a 2021 white Nissan Versa, and in a statement, the Brazoria County Pct. 4 Constable's Office said the 39-year-old's mother was also in the car. The license plate had been entered into a statewide reader system, but the two were no longer believed to be in the area.

Yancy was serving a life sentence without parole for continuous sexual abuse of a child at the time of his escape and eventual capture. Police urged the public, at the time of his escape, to not approach the fugitive if they were to come in contact.