Inmate charged after stealing transport vehicle, leading cross-county chase
UPTON COUNTY, Texas (KCBD) - Court documents reveal the incidents leading up to the theft of an Upton County Sheriff’s Office transport vehicle by a Lubbock County inmate earlier this month.
36-year-old Benjamin Soliz remains in custody facing multiple charges including theft, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and escaping while arrested.
The detention officer driving the transport vehicle originally signed Soliz out of the Lubbock County Detention Center that morning for a bench warrant in Upton County.
On their return to Lubbock, Soliz told the officer “to pull over because he was sick from the Upton County Jail food,” court documents state. The officer pulled over and let Soliz out so he could vomit outside the vehicle. Court documents indicate when the officer placed Soliz back into the vehicle and started making his way back to the driver’s seat, “he heard the vehicle’s doors lock engage”.
The officer then saw Soliz get into the driver’s seat, still fully restrained, and drive off leaving him there.
The transport vehicle was later found wrecked at the intersection of CR 2830 and CR 7700 where they discovered all the restraints Soliz had been wearing inside.
Soon after the escape and crash, a UTV was reported stolen in Southwest Lubbock County near Woodrow Rd. Lubbock County Sheriff’s deputies were able to positively identify Soliz as the suspect because the theft of the UTV was recorded by the victim’s surveillance video.
Soliz was captured in Lubbock hours later, in the 6700 block of Cedar, by TAG and Highway Patrol troopers.
34-year-old Thomas Soliz was also arrested at the same location.
He’s been charged with hindering the apprehension of a known felon.
LSO says Soliz was being brought back to the Lubbock County Detention Center for pending charges of stalking and theft.
Officials with DPS say the Upton County Sheriff’s Office contacted them around 2 p.m. after the inmate stole the truck. The vehicle was described as a Chevrolet Silverado with Upton County Sheriff’s Office markings.
The Lubbock Police Department, Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety assisted with the search.
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