TGC Transport Vehicle Rolls Over Near Abilene

A Tom Green County Sheriff's prisoner transport unit on the way to Vernon has rolled over on U.S. 277 in Taylor County near Abilene, Sheriff David Jones confirms.

The driver of the vehicle was "going to pick up an inmate at the state hospital in Vernon, ran off the road and rolled over," he said.

The crash involved only the transport unit and the driver was not injured in the rollover. Sheriff Jones explained that inclement weather caused the deputy to lose control of the vehicle when the accident occurred.

"I think there was a heavy downpour," he said. "I have not been able to talk to the officers yet, but we have some people up there." 

Due to the crash, another TGC unit is currently en-route to pick up the inmate at the state hospital. Transfer units are inherently the same as the patrol vehicles deputies use around town, Jones explained, they are just marked differently.

The state hospital in Vernon is one of two campuses in north Texas that comprise the North Texas State Hospital. 

"The Vernon campus provides maximum security adult forensic psychiatric services to adults and secured forensic services to adolescents referred from throughout the state," the hospital website states.