Man serving life sentence for child sex abuse allegedly escaped prison with help of his mother, a former corrections officer

A man who was in prison for continued sex abuse of a child was able to escape through the help of his mother, who is a former corrections officer, according to Texas police.

39-year-old Robert Yancy Jr. was convicted in 2022 and given a life sentence without parole, but he escaped prison on Sunday before police were able to recapture him on Monday morning at about 8 a.m.

His mother, Leonor Priestle, was arrested Sunday and charged with facilitating his escape, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

The TDCJ said that Priestle went to visit Yancy at the Clemens Unit of the Brazoria County prison while wearing a black sweater. Yancy reportedly put on the sweater and walked out of the unit with her and then got into a white 2021 Nissan Versa to drive away.

Just after 6 p.m. on Sunday, police got an alert from their statewide license plate reader system and were able to locate Priestle in the vehicle. They also arrested her boyfriend, Russell Williams, for allegedly helping Yancy escape, but the inmate was not in the car.

When police apprehended Yancy the next morning thanks to a tip from two witnesses, investigators said he possessed identification that they believe he used to walk out of the prison.

Mary Ann Galindo, a neighbor to Priestle, told KHOU-TV she was distraught by the news but believed the woman was just doing what she thought was right for her son.

"It's still hard for me, it is," said Galindo. "I think it's very sad because she's a very sweet lady. She's very caring."

Yancy was convicted of sexually abusing a child over a period of 3 years from the time the child was 7 years old. That victim testified against him at trial.

Yancy will now face felony escape charges, according to Texas officials.

Here's a local news report about the arrest: