A prisoner who escaped from a private transport bus in Weatherford turned himself in to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities in Dallas at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
Enzo Edenilso Campos, 24, of El Salvador, fled at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday when the bus stopped at a fuel stop in the 1100 block of West Park, police said.
Campos was being transported from Dallas to an ICE detention center in Haskell, Texas.
He had been handcuffed to another prisoner. Guards noticed the other prisoner still had the handcuffs on, but Campos was gone, police said. The circumstances of Campos’ escape are under investigation.
Campos has gang ties and is in federal custody for immigration violations, police said. Police said his criminal history includes drunken driving, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and illegal drug possession.
Police set up a command post at the truck stop Wednesday and warned nearby residents to “stay in their homes, lock their doors and report any suspicious activity,” said Weatherford police Lt. Chris Crawford.
Pam Schultz is one of 3,352 people in Weatherford who received a phone call Wednesday, after Police activated the CodeRED Emergency Notification System.
"I got a phone call, and it identified the caller as a police officer," said Weatherford resident Pam Schultz, "he said there was an escaped convict."
CodeRED is an automated calling system that allows Emergency Management teams to send out alerts to an entire area simultaneously.
"In the past we would have had to go door-to-door." Fire Chief George Teague said. "It is possibly the most effective way of notifying people of severe weather or a situation arising in their neighborhood."
"It was nice to know something was potentially going on out there," said Schultz.
The city of Weatherford previously used a different automated notification system but switched to CodeRED because it allows residents to register their cell phones for the alerts.
Residents can find instructions on how to register their cell phone in the "Hometown Weatherford" newsletter, which was mailed out this week, or online.
"I think it's a very effective tool," Schultz said, "I appreciated it."
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The police department dismantled their command post after a resident came forward claiming he had given the man a ride to Arlington on Wednesday night. The driver said he only realized it was Campos after seeing television news coverage Thursday morning.
