Local authorities alert for escapees Dave Lewis with The Meteor

Although not directly involved in the manhunt that took place Monday for two escaped inmates from the Wynne Unit in Huntsville, Madison County law enforcement personnel were nonetheless cautious after hearing of the incident.

“Two deputies, Chief Deputy Paul Cannon and Sgt. Ivan Linebaugh, went to the south end of the county to patrol S.H. 75 and Interstate 45,” said Sheriff Dan Douget Tuesday.

Closer to home, Madisonville Police Chief George Sweetin said his department's first concerns were school safety.

“We were aware of what was going on (in Huntsville) and we made sure the schools were safe,” Sweetin said Tuesday. “We were kept advised through the Walker County sheriff's office.”

Shortly after 10 a.m. Monday, Jerry Duane Martin, 37, and John Ray Falk, 40, jumped Texas Department of Criminal Justice corrections officer Susan Canfield, 59, where the men were working outside near the Wynne Unit. The two are alleged to have run over Canfield in a TDCJ truck before fleeing. Canfield died of the injuries.

Falk was captured approximately an hour after his escape, and Martin was taken into custody near a wooded area in the vicinity of F.M. 1374 and I-45 after dogs flushed him from his hiding place.

Canfield, of New Waverly, had worked at the Wynne Unit for approximately seven years.