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Law enforcement following '3 or 4 leads' in hunt

The manhunt continues, with no timeline set for the conclusion of the effort to capture the men who escaped Tuesday.

Hopkins County judge Chris Brown told KETR Wednesday afternoon that officers were following "three or four leads" in the search for two men who escaped from the Hopkins County Jail at about 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Late Wednesday afternoon, scanner traffic described officers on the ground in Hunt and Hopkins counties. Local law enforcement are asking citizens to be on the lookout for a 2010 black Saturn Vue with license plate numbers CR6 D 425. The vehicle was reported stolent and could be connected to the escapees, officials, said.

Hopkins County sheriff's department Sgt. Brad Cummings said Wednesday that no timetable has been set for the duration of the active-search phase of the effort to find the two men.

Brian Allen Tucker, a 45-year-old capital murder suspect from Sulphur Springs, and John Marlin King, a 40-year-old from Cumby convicted of burglary, escaped from the recreation yard, sheriff's department officials said.

Tucker is 5'7", 171 pounds and has brown hair, brown eyes, medium build and a light mustache and goatee. He also has tattoo of a barbed wire design on his neck.

King is 5'8", 165 pounds and has black hair, hazel eyes, medium build and a light mustache and goatee.

The two men, who were segregated from others in the Hopkins County Jail, either escaped through a gap between a fence and gate or climbed a fence, said county sheriff Butch Adams.

After the Tuesday morning escape, the men's jail uniforms were found on nearby train tracks as they searched for the men, officials said. At least one local resident reported seeing the men shortly after the escape, they said.

The Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Department of Corrections staff, Sulphur Springs police and sheriff's departments from Hopkins, Hunt, Delta and Wood counties are all aiding in the search, said Sgt. Brad Cummings of the sheriff's department. The effort includes a DPS helicopter and TDC dogs, he said.

Tucker was being held on $1 million bond in the 2011 death of Bobby Riley of Mahoney. Riley was found strangled in his home and some music instruments and firearms had been stolen. Jury selection in his murder trial was set to begin June 3.

Tucker was previously convicted of burglary and driving while intoxicated, and has been arrested several times for violating parole.

King was being held on several charges, including evading arrest, burglary and possession of a controlled substance. He’s been convicted previously of burglary and possession of a controlled substance. According to court documents, he pleaded guilty last month to the possession charge as a habitual offender and received a sentence of 40 years in prison.

Daniel was born and raised in Commerce, TX, and has been a life-long listener of 88.9 KETR. After listening to ‘The Art of Sound’ with Mark Chapman as a child, he enjoyed the thought of being able to broadcast across NE Texas. He is now a Radio/Television student at Texas A&M University-Commerce and hopes to continue his work in radio after he graduates. He has been heard in the past as the host of ‘All Things Considered’, ‘Movie Picks with Alice Reese’ and ‘The Morning Bell’.
Mark Haslett has served at KETR since 2013. Since then, the station's news operation has enjoyed an increase in listener engagement and audience metrics, as well recognition in the Texas AP Broadcasters awards.
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