SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County deputies halted the would-be escape of a 22-year-old inmate who was found wearing a spare deputy’s uniform Thursday afternoon, officials say.
According to Sheriff Javier Salazar, deputies at the county jail stumbled upon Aaron Allen Voyce while responding to an area where a fire alarm was pulled, likely an accident on Voyce’s part. A search was already underway for the suspect after he didn’t show up for a court hearing scheduled to be conducted at the jail over Zoom; around that point is when the alarm began going off.
Authorities eventually found a pair of sandals typically worn by inmates in an empty office, and they soon discovered him in a closet.
“Voyce was taken into custody right then and there, without further incident,” Salazar said, adding that he is “pretty clearly a mentally ill inmate.”
Voyce is behind bars on animal cruelty charges after allegedly killing his family’s dog with a bat.
While Salazar said it isn’t believed at this point that any personnel assisted Voyce, the sheriff called it “a cause of concern” that he was able to so easily find a spare uniform – albeit one without a badge or name tag – in the drawer of a vacant office.
Voyce was re-detained two floors away from where the hearing was meant to take place. Salazar said there are different security levels for inmates when it comes to their being escorted throughout the building, adding the agency will review security video to observe how he got where he ended up.
Soon after the escape was thwarted, BCSO performed two head counts of the inmate population. Salazar said it's possible Voyce could face extra charges after the escape attempt.
An internal investigation is underway.
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