A man charged with beating his ex-girlfriend and setting her house on fire has fled from a South Texas courtroom after stepping out to say he needed to make a call.
Bexar County jail records do not list 31-year-old Christopher Jones as being in custody Thursday. A judge in San Antonio issued a warrant for Jones after he disappeared Wednesday during jury selection.
Jones faces up to life in prison if convicted of aggravated assault in the February 2012 attack on his former girlfriend at her apartment.
Defense attorney Scott McCrum said Jones, who was free on bond before trial, said he wanted to call his father about a legal matter.
Investigators later found the defendant's electronic ankle monitor dumped several miles away.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
