Three Inmates Charged With Escape After Using Blankets To Pick Cell Locks At Bowie County Jail

TEXARKANA, Texas — Three detainees at the Bowie County jail have been charged with escape after allegedly using scraps of fabric from blankets to pick the locks on their cell doors and gain access to a secure hallway, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Omarion Lamon Owens, 22; Harry Andrew Croft Jr., 38; and Jordan Demond Wilkerson, 30, allegedly used pieces of fabric to defeat the locks on the afternoon of June 15, the affidavit states. The men never made it outside the confines of the Bi-State jail, a Bowie County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said Friday, and the lock issue has since been fixed.

Owens has been in custody since mid-August 2025. In addition to the new felony escape charge, he faces charges of theft of a firearm, two counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, and two counts of aggravated robbery. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of aggravated robbery. His case is assigned to 202nd District Judge John Tidwell.

Croft has been in custody since early February. He faces a motion to revoke probation on charges of evading arrest in a vehicle and possession of a controlled substance, as well as a misdemeanor DWI charge. His case is assigned to 102nd District Judge Jeff Addison.

Wilkerson has been in custody since early May. He is charged with felony aggravated assault, unlawful restraint and misdemeanor criminal mischief. His case is assigned to 202nd District Judge John Tidwell.

All three men face two to ten years in prison if convicted of escape.