RUSK, Texas — The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office is debunking rumors that an escaped killer was spotted in our area on Facebook.
Dozens of law enforcement officers are searching for convicted killer, Gonzalo Lopez. He escaped from a prison transport bus a week ago after stabbing the driver.
"If anyone sees anything suspicious, or anyone suspicious, and they contact their local law enforcement," said Brent Dickson, the Cherokee County Sheriff.
The rumor has been circling about Lopez being spotted in the area has residents worried, but Dickson said the rumor is false.
"No, we have no indication that Lopez is in our county," Dickson said. "We were receiving calls yesterday. There was some confusion in the community and so we made a post trying to clear that up."
While the sheriff encourages everyone to stay alert he says rumors like this one can harm investigations.
"On big cases like this or on any case, it diverts the main priority which is locating them," Dickson said. "It pulls people away from their job to go look at something that we know is not true."
Authorities are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Lopez’ arrest. Dickson encourages that if you have a serious inquiry then report it.
"We don't believe he's here," Dickson said. "We have no indication that he's here. We believe he's still within the perimeter that they have in Leon County. But, if you see something don't hesitate to call, we don't mind coming out."
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice ask if anyone has information about the whereabouts of Lopez to call crime stoppers at 1-800-832-8477.