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On April 3, officials say Pontrey Jones tried to escape the Travis County Correctional Complex by being wheeled out in a recycling bin. Authorities say they caught him on classified surveillance, watching a correctional officer and the jail nurse walk by. he then got out of the shower, and put on his jumpsuit.
"The inmate took advantage of I think seeing the slider door open and slid outside of his unit,” said Major Wes Priddy, Travis County Corrections Bureau.
Authorities say he looked around for staff members and then quickly left through another exit. At that point, he climbed into a 48 gallon recycling bin.
"[He] thought well maybe if he could hide in a recycling bin and hope somebody would wheel him out of the building,” said Priddy.
But that didn't happen. He was in the bin for about ten minutes before an officer found him.
Officials say they have several layers of security at the jail, something very helpful in catching jones before he escaped.
"This is a good training opportunity for our staff to remain aware,” said Priddy.
Jones is charged with the murder of his stepmother last December. Investigators say he hid a knife and stabbed her repeatedly after she gloated a Dallas Cowboys win. Priddy says the attempted escape is a lesson learned for the officers, and they say they will not take the incident lightly.
"The inmate saw an opportunity while the officer was distracted just to try and pursue that avenue of escape," said Priddy.
When officers questioned jones his answers were simply put. He says he was hoping to be wheeled out of the jail, and he was trying to get home. In addition to his first degree murder charge, he faces an escape from custody charge.