TYLER, Texas — The Smith County inmate who escaped from a jail transport vehicle in January has been sentenced to 20 years after jurors found him guilty this week.
Jurors found Timothy James Chappelle, of Killeen, guilty of escaping custody while arrested and on Wednesday, the jury gave a 20-year prison sentence in the 114th District Court. He was also given a $10,000 fine for the offense, according to court records and officials.
On Jan. 3, Chappelle was caught in the 1600 block of Wisteria Drive in Tyler after he escaped from a jail vehicle that was moving from the north jail to the downtown central jail facility.
Smith County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. Larry Christian said a detention officer was stopped at Gentry Parkway and Parkdale when Chappelle kicked the passenger side window and broke the barricade.
Video showed Chappelle getting arrested after jumping out of a window of a transport van, running on foot, and jumping a fence -- all while still handcuffed. After jumping that fence, he eventually broke into two homes in a nearby neighborhood.
Before jumping out of the vehicle, Chappelle was booked into the Smith County Jail on Dec. 26, 2022 for a criminal mischief worth between $2,500 and $30,000 charge in Lindale, according to jail records.
After he was arrested again, Chappelle was charged with escaping custody and two counts of burglary of a home.
Currently, his charges of burglary and criminal mischief remain pending court cases.
Resident DeAndre Miller said his house was one of the two homes on Wisteria Drive that got broken into.
"I’m blessed that nothing happened to my nephew or my brother and I’m just glad that somebody was here to watch over my house while I was at work," Miller said. "I got over as soon as my brother called me to let me know what was going on with the house."
No injuries were reported in both burglaries.