Published: July 23, 2008 09:15 am         

Jail escapee nabbed swimming in Houston hotel pool

HOUSTON — A slimmed-down murder suspect who fled jail by slipping through a vent has been caught after a dip in a hotel pool on a hot summer night in Houston.

Houston police say Darryl Layne Norris was back in custody Wednesday.

Norris escaped early Saturday from the Waller County Jail in Hempstead.

Sheriff Randy Smith said Norris, described as 6-foot-1 and usually about 160 pounds, had lost weight in recent months. The air conditioner vent he went through is less than one foot wide.

Police say Norris was captured Tuesday night after swimming at a Red Roof Inn. Further details on what led police to the moderately priced hotel were not immediately available.

Norris is charged with murder in connection with an April 17 convenience store robbery. Escape charges could now be filed.

Hempstead is about 50 miles northwest of Houston.