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Lockdown at Rusk ISD campuses lifted after 'dangerous' state hospital inmate found

Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson said the inmate who was reported to be dangerous has been found.

RUSK, Texas — The inmate who escaped from the Rusk State Hospital has been found and is in custody. 

Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson said the inmate who was reported to be dangerous has been found. Rusk ISD campuses are no longer on a lockdown following the inmate's capture.

Juan Vasquez Rojas, 32, was originally arrested in Harris County for a murder charge in connection with a Sept. 28, 2021 incident, and he was in the state hospital for a competency evaluation. He was in a van when he jumped out and started running at 9:30 a.m. He fled into a nearby wooded area and he was found near Dole and Crump Streets just before 11 a.m., Rusk Police Chief Scott Heagay said. 

Heagay said he was not restrained while in the van. Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, Rusk Police Department, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas Department of Public Safety and constables assisted with the search. 

CBS19 will update this story as more information becomes available. 

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