A convicted felon from Houston who slipped out of a Southeast Texas jail through an unlocked door must serve three years in prison.
The Galveston County Daily News reports 44-year-old Thomas Penn Watson pleaded guilty Monday to escape.
Watson in August fled from the city jail in La Marque and was on the run for about 12 hours before getting caught less than a mile away.
An investigation found an officer failed to lock a booking door while doing paperwork to transfer Watson to the Galveston County jail.
Watson was arrested at a La Marque halfway house on a warrant from Montgomery County accusing him of exposing himself to a child.
Records show Watson has prior convictions for burglary and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
