SAN ANTONIO -- An inmate who escaped from the Bexar County jail is back behind bars.
Sheriff's deputies say they noticed 34-year-old Francisco Tristan was missing when they did an inmate count around 2:30 Wednesday afternoon. Tristan, a suspect in a Monday evening crime spree, was in the process of being booked into the jail when he got out of the building.
His mother told News 4 WOAI one of Tristan's friends called her to say that Tristan had help from someone at the jail when he escaped. After interviewing Tristan, however, Bexar County Sheriff's Deputies say there is no reason to believe that is the case. They say Tristan explained to them exactly how he got out. Deputies are not releasing any details about his statements since the matter remains under investigation.
Tristan is expected to be charged with the escape. He is already facing charges after police say he robbed a convenience store near Broadway and Mulberry, Monday night. Moments after stealing money from the cash register, officers tell us Tristan grabbed a gun belonging to one of the detectives who responded to the scene and then swiped a woman's cell phone. He allegedly ran several blocks and hid on rooftops before he was taken down by a customer at a restaurant after police say he tried to steal that customer's keys.
Tristan was in plain clothes when he escaped from the jail. He did have a leg iron, a device that looks like a handcuff and is worn around the ankle. Deputies searched his previous addresses and found him in the 600 block of Carson, north of Downtown. His mother lives in that area, and he was found near her house.
Tristan is now in special unit for high risk inmates at the Bexar County Jail.
