HOUSTON — Ladislav Petro, a 51-year-old citizen of Slovakia, escaped from the Houston Contract Detention Facility on March 15 and was apprehended within 24 hours. A federal grand jury indicted him in April on charges of escape and willfully preventing departure after a final removal order.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) staff were notified of the escape at approximately 4:22 p.m. on March 15. Facility staff identified the escape during a routine headcount around 4:00 p.m., determining it occurred between 9:20 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Surveillance video showed Petro in the facility recreation yard before his escape. Investigators recovered a yoga mat from the recreation yard following the incident. An ICE officer wrote in a federal criminal complaint that Petro used the yoga mat to scale the recreation yard wall to the roof of the building and then jumped from the roof to an area outside of the facility.
A multi-agency search began after detention staff notified local, state, and federal authorities. An ICE spokesperson stated that Petro was safely apprehended in just over 24 hours not far from the Houston Contract Detention Facility. Petro has a record of multiple prior criminal arrests, and Slovak authorities have issued charges against him related to child sexual abuse material. Interpol maintains a Red Notice for Petro concerning the production and distribution of child pornography. His immigration case was pending with the Board of Immigration Appeals at the time of the escape, and he was ordered removed from the United States in May 2024.
CoreCivic operates the Houston Contract Detention Facility. A criminal complaint detailing the escape was filed under seal on March 15, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Palermo signed an order to unseal it. Petro remains in federal custody with a trial scheduled for June.