Five inmates escape N. Carolina jail, four taken into custody

Published 4:11 am Wednesday, March 27, 2019

(AP) — Four of the five inmates who escaped from the Nash County Detention center in North Carolina were in custody Tuesday morning.

Sheriff Keith Stone said the inmates forced through a hole in a fence in the exercise yard at 3:30 p.m. on Monday and escaped, according to WRAL-TV. The inmates were being monitored by a camera in the yard and Stone said it was possible that they knew they were in a camera’s blind spot.

The inmates are identified as David Marshal Viverette, 28, David Ruffin Jr., 30, Keonte Daemoan Murphy, 23, Raheem D-Carlos Horne, 26, and Laquaris Rashaad Battle, 23, who remained at large Tuesday morning.

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Viverette and Horne made it to Hal Orr’s Inn in Rocky Mount, 15 miles (24 kilometers) away from the Nashville jail. A tip led authorities to the motel, Stone said. Both men were taken into custody on Monday night. It was not immediately known how Ruffin and Murphy were apprehended.

The men’s charges range from possession of a stolen vehicle to assault by strangulation and drug possession.

Stone said the FBI and other area law enforcement departments have assisted in the search. He urged residents to lock their homes and cars while the hunt continues.

The Nash County Sheriff’s Office announced they and the Twin County Crime Stoppers are offering a $1,500 reward for any information leading to the capture of Battle. Call Twin County Crime Stoppers at 252-977-1111.

Any tips concerning the location of Battle can be called in to 252-462-2422, 252-462-2656 or Nash County Communications at 252-459-1510.

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