Escaped Inmate Hides in Bayer Facility Near New Deal

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An escaped inmate from the Hall County Sheriff's Office was found hiding in one of the buildings of the Bayer Crop Center near New Deal.

48-year-old Gary Darnell managed to escape the morning of Thursday, November 17th. The vehicle he escaped in was located near I-27 and Loop 461 in New Deal, so a chase was initiated. Darnell eventually abandoned the vehicle on the South side of New Deal and fled on foot, escaping law enforcement for the time being.

New Deal ISD cancelled school for the day due to the situation after initially saying that classes would only be delayed.

At around 5:30 a.m., team members at the Bayer facility noticed "an intruder" on the property. This intruder, who turned out to be Darnell, ran into one of the buildings as police arrived at the scene.

The facility immediately went on lockdown as police conducted their search for Darnell. This lockdown lasted until about 9:50 a.m. when Darnell was taken into custody. No one was injured during the lockdown.

Bayer said in a statement:

We appreciate the rapid response of law enforcement, and are grateful the situation has come to a peaceful conclusion. We will be providing Bayer team members with support and counseling in the coming days.