Man Freed From Prison Allegedly Steals Van

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HUNSTVILLE, Texas - A man released from prison Thursday after serving a three-year sentence allegedly stole a van just hours later and was soon back in custody.

Hector Zaragoza, 28, was arrested in Madisonville after leading police on a 25-mile pursuit in a service van authorities say he stole shortly after his release from the Huntsville Walls Unit.

Zaragoza had been imprisoned for driving while intoxicated and aggravated assault. He was being held Thursday night in the Walker County Jail, facing charges of felony theft of a vehicle, evading arrest and operating a vehicle with a revoked license.

Authorities said Zaragoza stole a van belonging to a Huntsville electric company that was repairing street lights.

"My guys were up in a bucket truck, there were cones all around and there was a city truck there," McCaffety Electric Vice President Robert McCaffety said in Friday's editions of The Huntsville Item. "This guy jumps in the service van, hops the curb and hauls butt."

Zaragoza had no further obligation to the prison system when he was released, Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Michelle Lyons said.