A man accused of escaping from the Bowie County jail in November while being held on a child sexual abuse charge has been indicted by a grand jury.
Kylon Chevon Clark, 20, allegedly made a run for it during a transfer of prisoners from the jail in the Bi-State Justice Center to the adjacent jail annex in downtown Texarkana. It was approxiamtely 3 a.m. Nov. 12, 2021, when Clark and four other inmates stepped off an elevator into the basement of the Bi-State where a van was waiting to drive them the short trip to the annex.
Instead of getting into the van, Clark allegedly took off running, fleeing onto Main Street after running out the open roll-up door used by vehicles exiting or entering the secure basement parking area of the building. A jail sergeant chased the fleeing inmate on foot and then in a truck but was unable to locate him.
At approximately 6:23 a.m., Hooks, Texas, Chief of Police Ricky Woodard spotted a suspect on Washington Ave. after receiving a citizen tip. Clark allegedly ran from Woodard but was later taken into custody in Hooks after allegedly found hiding beneath a residence in the 400 block of Washington Ave.
Clark was in custody at the time of the alleged escape on a charge of indecency with a child by sexual contact involving a 16-year-old girl who is related to a woman Clark was allegedly dating in the summer of 2021. Bowie County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a call from Clark and an in-person report from the girl’s mother on July 25, 2021.
The girl’s mother reported that her daughter had been assaulted by Clark while sleeping in a trailer next to a house on property in the county. Clark allegedly was naked when the girl awoke to Clark on top of her. Clark allegedly tried to pull up the girl’s shirt and pull off her shorts. The girl went to the house and woke an adult female relative.
An adult male relative of the girl’s allegedly found Clark “hiding in a closet.” The alleged victim reportedly began receiving sexually-oriented messages on SnapChat from Clark several weeks before the alleged incident.
Clark called 911 the morning of the incident and allegedly reported he had been sexually abused by the alleged victim. Deputies arrested Clark that day on an outstanding warrant unrelated to the current charges. After his release from jail Aug. 6, Clark allegedly sent a friend request to the girl on Facebook.
Clark was indicted last week for escape and indecency with a child by sexual contact. Clark faces 2 to 10 years in prison if convicted of escape and 2 to 20 years if convicted of indecency with a child. Clark is currently being held in the Bowie County jail. Bond is set at $150,000.
