HOUSTON — An escaped Harris County inmate is back in custody after a 12-hour manhunt overnight.
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Joshua Nigel Thomas Sanders, 35, who they said escaped custody after a court appearance in downtown Houston, was arrested at 3 a.m. in the Cloverleaf area of east Harris County.
Deputies said Sanders initially resisted arrest when they found him at his mother's home so they used Tasers to help take him into custody.
The Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force and warrant teams helped track him down.
The sheriff’s office said they received tips, leading investigators to multiple addresses, including the home where they found him.
Now that Sanders is back in custody, he’s facing two more charges, including aggravated robbery. That's because deputies said after he escaped the courthouse, he tried to carjack a woman.
He’s also being charged with escape.
According to court records, Sanders was already facing three burglary charges and an unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon charge.
Deputies also did not reveal how Sanders managed to slip from custody at the courthouse or how he got his hands on a knife, which he allegedly used to hold a district attorney's office staffer at knifepoint.
Inmate's mother, sister charged with helping him escape
At this point, it’s not clear how he managed to get from downtown to the east side. KHOU 11 News is working to learn more.
Two relatives were arrested and accused of helping Sanders hide from authorities. They were later identified as his mother, 53-year-old Kathryn Gomez Sanders, and his sister, 27-year-old Zana Tyler, the sheriff's office said.
Both women are charged with hindering the apprehension of the escapee.
What we know about the escape
Officials with HCSO said Sanders made a court appearance at 1301 Franklin Street and was able to escape on the way back to jail around 3:30 p.m.
They said he got in a woman's car and held her at knifepoint, but the car crashed on Commerce Street and Sanders ran away.
"He jumped in that car and she wrecked it within just a few feet," HCSO Assistant Chief Phillip Bosquez said.
Authorities said that was the last time Sanders was seen on camera.
HCSO officials said once they got the report that an escape had taken place, they shut down the jail and counted inmates. That's when they realized Sanders was gone.
"We do believe he is a dangerous individual and so there is still a threat to the community at this time," Bosquez said. "At this point, he lives a transient lifestyle is what we have, so we don’t have a hard address or a neighborhood he would frequent."
They launched boats in the bayou and helicopters to help with the search.
Several downtown streets were closed and UH-Downtown was put on lockdown. A social media post from UHD directed staff members to go inside, lock the doors and avoid windows. According to university officials, no students were on campus at the time but staff members who were there were told to follow the instructions.
Authorities said the woman who was held at knifepoint works at the Criminal Justice Center for the Harris County District Attorney's Office. She was shaken up by not physically harmed.
Sanders was taken to an area hospital to be checked out after he was Tased.
The Harris County Precinct 1 Constable's Office handles security at the courthouse, so they are leading the investigation. The Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff's Office, among other law enforcement agencies, helped with the search.
Here's the update provided by HCSO officials just before 7 p.m. Thursday:
Harris County District Attorney releases statement
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg released this statement about the employee who was caught in the middle of the situation:
"Earlier today, one of our employees was held against her will by a man with a knife who apparently escaped from official custody. We are thankful and grateful that she was not physically harmed during this incident.
"The general public should be on heightened alert that this man has yet to be apprehended, but we are confident that law enforcement will be able to find and apprehend the suspect.
"Once he is arrested, we expect to prosecute this defendant and seek justice in this case."
UH-Downtown goes into secure mode
The University of Houston-Downtown announced it went into secure mode Thursday around 4:35 p.m. due to the police activity.
The university posted this message to social media.
Editor's note: A previous version of this article reported Sanders escaped from the Harris County Jail, but authorities corrected that and said he was able to get away after his court appearance. Officials also initially said it was an assistant district attorney who was held at knifepoint, but later said it was a staff member with a different title.