An 18-year-old inmate at the Bridge City Center for Youth pleaded guilty Monday (Feb. 22), to attacking a correctional officer and escaping his dormitory.
Wilnor Chaney Jr., was sentenced to one year in prison followed by five years of probation, in connection with the Aug. 5, 2015, crime at the River Road facility where adjudicated juveniles are confined.
He pleaded guilty as charged to adult charges of battery on a corrections officer and simple escape. He was scheduled to stand trial this week for the offenses.
Chaney admitted he grabbed the correctional officer in a bear hug and threw him to the ground before taking the officer’s security keys, according to the arrest report. Chaney then was able to unlock the rear door to the Perseverance Dorm, where he was confined, and escape onto the grounds at the facility.
A corrections officer monitoring a security camera saw Chaney near the facility’s back gate, triggering a search for the escapee, according to the report. He was captured shortly after near the Main School Building, having never left the center’s grounds.
Judge Ellen Kovach of the 24th Judicial District Court, who presided over the case, sentenced Chaney to one year in prison for the battery charge. She suspended a three-year prison sentence for the simple escape charge and ordered three years of active probation, followed by two years of inactive probation. She ran the sentences consecutively.
Assistant District Attorney Douglas Rushton prosecuted the case.
