600-pound prisoner hid gun in fat layers

HOUSTON, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Houston police say a man weighing nearly 600 pounds concealed a 9mm handgun in his layers of fat for more than a day while in custody.

Police said George Vera, 25, was arrested for an unspecified reason Aug. 2 and held in the city jail for a day before being taken to the Harris County Jail. There, he revealed to police he was hiding the handgun and two clips, KPRC-TV, Houston, reported Thursday.

Gary Blankinship, president of the Houston Police Officers Union, said Vera's weight made it easier for him to hide the gun from officers.

"We teach officers to lift up and look under," Blankinship said. "The officer may not have arrested anyone this big before.

"Basically short of strip-searching or searching cavities, they could miss something like this."

The Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff's Office said they have begun internal investigations into the incident.