
Inmate escapes in Mineral Wells
By BILL MILLER
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Harvey William Veal escaped from custody in Mineral Wells on Thursday
night.
A 43-year-old man awaiting parole escaped from custody in Mineral Wells
last night, officials said.
Harvey William Veal, who has a criminal past in Tarrant County, was
noticed missing about 9 p.m. Thursday at the Mineral Wells PreParole
Transfer Facility, said Michelle Lyons, spokeswoman for the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice in Huntsville.
Veal was serving a four-year sentence for illegal possession of a
firearm and he was about to be paroled, which is why he was at the
Mineral Wells facility, Lyons said.
"That's why it's so surprising to have an escape like that," Lyons said.
"Our main thing now is to bring him back into custody.
"Once that happens, a serious incident review team will determine how he
was able to breach security."
The Mineral Wells facility is owned by TDCJ, but it's operated under
contract by Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America. It is
one of two pre-parole units in the state; the other is in Bridgeport.
Veal has been in and out of the state prison system and has been
convicted of burglary of a building, forgery and unauthorized use of
vehicle, Lyons said.
As a convicted felon, he was barred from possessing a firearm, Lyons
added, but he was caught with one in May 2005 in Tarrant County, which
sent him back to prison.
Veal has brown hair and brown eyes, Lyons said, although his prison mug
shot shows him with a buzz cut. She added that he's about
5-feet-7-inches tall and weighs about 137 pounds.
"If anyone thinks they saw this individual, they should call their local
law enforcement agency and don't try to confront him," Lyons said. ``Now
that he has escaped, we would certainly believe he would do whatever it
takes to avoid capture, and he should be considered dangerous."
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