A man who escaped his leg shackles and managed to walk out of a courthouse unnoticed this week has been taken into custody Thursday morning, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Michael Devon Combs, 32, had a court appearance at the Harris County Criminal Courthouse Tuesday morning. According to records, Combs was out on bond for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his two children in 2022. They had reportedly been dating for more than seven years.
A judge revoked his bond, and he was placed into shackles because he had reportedly been violating his bond conditions by testing positive for meth and shutting off his GPS monitor.
He was left alone at about 10 a.m. when a panic button went off because a fight broke out in a different courtroom between a convicted murderer’s family and the victim’s family, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said.
HCSO Major Lynette Anderson said Combs was left alone because the deputies went to assist with the fight. That’s when the suspect reportedly took advantage and took off.
How Combs managed to remove the shackles is still under investigation.
A Harris County Bond Defendant, Michael Devon Combs, 32, escaped from 1201 Franklin after having his bond revoked. He was last seen fleeing the 176th Court (after freeing himself from leg irons) at approximately 10 a.m. Call 911 or @CrimeStopHOU at 713-222-8477. #HouNews pic.twitter.com/l4YtjMQVk6
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) October 17, 2023
“Once they hit the panic button, the deputies left to go assist and he was sitting there. Someone should have stayed with him,” Anderson said.
Officials said no one noticed Combs was gone for 10 to 15 minutes.