Prisoner drops 30 lbs., flees through vent

HEMPSTEAD, Texas, July 21 (UPI) -- Waller County, Texas, Sheriff's Office deputies said they believe a man lost 30 pounds as part of an escape plan to squeeze out jail through a vent.

Officials said Norris weighed 160 pounds at the time of his arrest, but dropped 30 pounds -- allowing him to squeeze through a one-foot-wide vent in his cell at the Waller County Jail, KTRK-TV, Houston, reported Monday.

Norris had been arrested on suspicion of murder in the April killing of a convenience store owner.