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Texas Prison Escapees: Police Arrest Two Suspected Accomplices, Seek Third

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We've got some breaking news now. You might recall the six Texas inmates who escaped and then were finally recaptured. Well, more arrests have occurred in that case. Apparently, some accomplices are suspected and are now in custody.

To confirm the news for us, we have Larry Todd from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on the telephone with us.

Good morning, Larry. Can you confirm this report, a man and a woman arrested?

LARRY TODD, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Good morning.

Our agents, along with the San Antonio Police Department and the state police, arrested two people that we believe without a doubt permitted and facilitated the escape of the seven inmates on December the 13th of last year. Both of these people have already been formally charged and their bond is set at $700,000. We feel comfortable that we've got the right people and we're looking for a third person who may be arrested later today.

LIN: Well, who are they and what did they do?

TODD: We're putting together all the details now and I'll release the names a little bit later. They -- even though they've been formally charged, I've got to work up the release. This has just happened early this morning. And what they did was simply they bought the Suburban vehicle in San Antonio, took it to a parking lot in Kenedy, Texas the day before the escape, put the keys in it, made the prearrangements with the escapees and allowed them to use that vehicle to make their escape.

That vehicle those inmates kept all of the time. It was finally recovered in Colorado.

LIN: So your theory is that the prison escapees escaped in a prison truck and then drove to the Wal-Mart to pick up the Suburban. They knew where to find it and they knew they could get away.

TODD: Yes, but it's no theory, it is fact. We've got solid proof of this one.

LIN: All right, do you know what the relationship is between the man and the woman and the inmates? How they knew each other?

TODD: Well, that's what we're preparing now and we'll release that a little bit later. But there was a pretty close relationship.

LIN: How were you able to trace this couple?

TODD: We had an informant that was very helpful to us.

LIN: So it wasn't the license plate from the Suburban that you were able to trace to them?

TODD: No, they changed license plates. We're not dealing with morons. They had sense enough to do that and change the appearance of it a little bit. But certainly we tried that. And in Texas -- the vehicle was purchased with cash so there was no way to -- there was not a paper trail left with tax officials or the vehicle department.

LIN: Larry Todd, Texas Department of Criminal Justice. It sounds like there was a lot of planning involved in this case. All right, we'll keep following the story for you. And as soon as we learn the identities and more on these people, we will let you know.

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