UPDATE: Burnet police capture escaped 19-year-old inmate

Brandon Mulder, bmulder@statesman.com
Brandon Zirkle, 19, was seen escaping a Burnet County correctional facility Sunday afternoon, officials said. [Photo courtesy Burnet County sheriff's office]

9:30 p.m. update: Police in Burnet County say they have captured a teenager who escaped a county correctional facility Sunday afternoon.

Brandon Zirkle, 19, was found within the Burnet city limits around 9 p.m. and was detained by Burnet police and state troopers, the Burnet County sheriff’s office said.

7 p.m. update: Burnet County officials have called off a search for an escaped 19-year-old inmate for the evening, saying the teen is not a danger to the public.

Officials are asking anyone who sees the inmate, Brandon Zirkle, to call 911. Police said they are working to obtain a warrant for unauthorized absence from a community correction facility.

Earlier: The Burnet County sheriff’s office is searching for an escaped inmate who was last seen running away from a county jail Sunday afternoon, officials said.

Brandon Zirkle, 19, escaped the Intermediate Sanction Facility — a 54-bed correctional building for men in the city of Burnet — at around 4:45 p.m. Sunday, the sheriff’s office said. He was seen running southeast toward railroad tracks near the 500 block of Coke Street, authorities said.

Reverse 911 was activated to alert area residents.

Zirkle was described as 5-foot 11-inches tall and 178 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He was seen wearing red pants.

“If you see someone matching this description, please do not approach them and call 911 immediately,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post.

The sheriff’s office is cooperating with Burnet police and state troopers in the search.