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Thomas Howell has been taken into custody by the Nacogdoches County Sheriff Office after he was found hiding inside a trailer house. Sheriff Jason Bridges stated that a man hunt for Howell started Thursday around 2:00pm after Howell was seen by two witnesses inside a home on Henderson Lane. Deputies responded to the burglary call and arrived on scene in a matter of minutes. Howell had already left the house and fled in a wooded area on foot. The sheriff office, Constable’s, DPS Troopers, Texas Rangers, State Game Wardens, Stephen F. Austin Police Assistant Chief and Nacogdoches Police Department assisted in setting up a perimeter around the area. A DPS helicopter and two sets of tracking dogs from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Division assisted in the man hunt for Howell. After an extensive search of the area that lasted for over 9 hours, Howell could not be found. Sheriff Bridges advised that we used all the resources and modern technology that was available to track Howell, but he seemed to have just disappeared.
Sheriff Bridges stated that although the search teams pulled out of the area, that deputies remained in the area of central heights throughout the night. We were still convinced that Howell was somewhere in the area, and believed that the cold weather would drive him into shelter before sunrise. Sheriff Bridges stated that deputies came back into the main search area of Henderson lane around 3:30 am and started conducting searches of several vacant houses in the area. Howell was found in a trailer house that he had originally broken into earlier in the day. Deputies were able to apprehend Howell without incident and he was taken to the Nacogdoches County Jail.
Charges filed by the Nacogdoches County Sheriff Office on Howell:
1. Burglary of habitation with intent to commit assault 1st felony.
2. Sexual Assault 2nd felony
3. Retaliation 3rd felony
4. Violation of protective order 3rd felony
5. Burglary of a Habitation 2nd felony
6. Assault Family Violence- Grand Jury Indictment Capias Warrant

7. Parole Warrant Hold has also been issued for Howell
Sheriff Bridges commends the efforts of all the law enforcement personal that came together and spent countless hours tracking down Howell. Everyone worked together as a team, everyone put out 110 percent cooperation and effort to apprehend the suspect.