According to a release by the 100th Judicial District Attorney, Gary Allen Darnell, 48, has been sentenced by jury to 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty for aggravated assault against a public servant with a deadly weapon after escaping from the Hall County Jail on November 17 of last year.

According to reports, Darnell overpowered a jailer by holding a sharpened toothbrush handle to her throat. After a man hunt from law enforcement and the Texas Rangers, Darnell was captured in Lubbock County around nine hours later. The Hall County Grand Jury indicted Darnell on December 8, 2022.

At the time of his escape, Darnell was in custody for multiple burglary and theft warrants from Childress County, along with a manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance charge in Hall County. He must serve 50 percent of the 40-year sentence before he is eligible for parole.