Facebook post from jail leads to deadly weapon charge for Bowie inmate

TEXARKANA, Texas–A man who allegedly posted a photo of a homemade weapon from a cell in the Bowie County jail is facing a charge of having a deadly weapon in a penal institution after a search last month reportedly turned up the contraband cell phone and the shank.

Officials with the Bowie County Sheriff’s Office reportedly observed the photo allegedly posted by Omarion Lamon Owens, 22, on Sept. 23 and conducted a “tactical shakedown operation” at about 1 p.m. the same day, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Thursday.

A captain, two lieutenants, a sergeant and three correctional officers conducted the tactical search, the affidavit said.

Inmates in Owens’ cell were searched, sleeping pads with any cuts were subjected to “internal inspection” and bunks and property boxes were carefully examined, the affidavit said. A cell phone was discovered hidden beneath a mop bucket and a shank identical to the one in the social media post was found on the north wall at the back of the cell near the showers.

The improvised weapon was an approximately five and a half inch piece of metal wire, sharpened to a “distinct point” on one end. The other end was wrapped in brown cloth to serve as a handle, the affidavit said.

A caption Owens included with the photo of the weapon allegedly said, “Some boxes in my celly for some rumor of me tellin’, I’m like Ox off a belly, said no pussy’ll never killed me, I drop hunnids, 50s, 30s, tens, even 5s.”

Owens faces two to ten years if convicted of having a deadly weapon in jail.

Owens has been in custody since mid-August 2025, jail records show. The weapons charge is not the first new charge he has racked up since his arrest.

In June, Owens was one of several inmates charged with escape after they allegedly used pieces of fabric from blankets to defeat the locks on their cell doors. He is also charged with theft of a firearm, two counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, and two counts of aggravated robbery, jail records show.

He faces up to life in prison if convicted of aggravated robbery.