Former North Dakota Penitentiary inmate Michael Neugebauer recently checked into his new prison cell.

The 28-year-old, convicted of murdering his family in Menoken 12 years ago, is now an inmate at an all-male federal prison in Beaumont, Texas. A spokesperson at the maximum-security facility said the move "went pretty well. We didn't have any problems."

U.S. Marshal John Werner said Neugebauer was handed over to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, and marshals were in charge of the move. Neugebauer flew to a transfer center in Oklahoma where he waited to catch a flight to Texas. He was in transit for a few weeks.

North Dakota Penitentiary Warden Tim Schuetzle said they had no say as to where Neugebauer ended up.

The penitentiary provided the Bureau of Prisons with "a lot of information" about Neugebauer, including facts about the murders that landed him in prison, the length of his sentence, disciplinary records, medical records and work history, Schuetzle said. The bureau used the information to classify Neugebauer and determine where to send him.

"But in reality, since he's a North Dakota inmate, he's our responsibility," Schuetzle said. "They (bureau) assume custody but it's still our responsibility to find him if he escapes."

The decision to move Neugebauer came in June, after a bolt cutter was found in the food service area where he worked. Prison officials said Neugebauer and four others were planning an escape, but after a two-month investigation they didn't have enough evidence to charge him with a crime.

The names of the four other co-conspirators weren't released. None of the names were to be released, but Neugebauer's name somehow became public.

Prison officials also investigated Neugebauer in 1999 after a hiding space was discovered in his cell. Authorities suspect he created the space to hide tools he planned to use to escape.

Neugebauer was classified as a "high escape risk" after the June attempt, and he was moved to maximum security lockdown. Inmates in maximum security have the least amount of privileges.

Schuetzle said they moved Neugebauer to separate him from local connections, and to find him a more secure home. The Tribune was unable to contact anyone to comment on security at the Beaumont prison or how it compares to the North Dakota Penitentiary.

(Reach reporter Mike Albrecht at 250-8261 or cops@ndonline.com.)