Comeaux Indicted in Prison Transfer Escape

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - A grand jury heard the case of convicted sex offender Arcade Joseph Comeaux Jr. and has indicted him with three felony charges in his late November attempt to escape from being transported to a Beaumont prison.

Comeaux was indicted with one count of felony escape and two counts of aggravated kidnapping.

On Nov. 30, Comeaux was wheelchair-bound as he was transferred from a Huntsville prison when investigators say he used a gun to threaten the two transport guards and ordered them to drive him to Baytown. Comeaux allegedly took the officers' weapons and handcuffed them together in the back of the vehicle before running away on foot.

Officers caught Comeaux one week later on Dec. 6 after a driver saw him sleeping on a school bus and called police. Comeaux ran from the bus, but Houston police were able to find him in a nearby crane business.

Cynthia M. Allen, a Huntsville correctional officer, was recommended for termination on Wednesday on accusations that she established a relationship with Comeaux.

Allen, 45, was recommended for firing after she allegedly admitted that she had placed several phone calls to the ex-wife of Arcade Comeaux at his request, according to a statement issued by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Officials determined was in violation of the department's "Establishing a Relationship with an Offender" rule.

Huntsville corrections officer Michael Price was fired on Dec. 10 because he did not adequately search Comeaux. TDCJ has also recommended dismissing Lt. Monte S. Henson "for failure to follow policy and procedures."

Lance Waldo and Matthew Smith, the two transport guards who were allegedly handcuffed by Comeaux, also issued a retirement notice instead of facing disciplinary action, according to the statement.