Cops Recapture NC Murderer Who Escaped

UPDATE Aug 16, 2024 6:24 AM CDT

A convicted killer in North Carolina who escaped from a medical transport van on Tuesday has been recaptured. After a manhunt involving hundreds of local, state, and federal officers, Ramone Alston was arrested early Friday at a hotel in Kannapolis, a suburb of Charlotte, NBC News reports. Authorities said the 30-year-old, who is serving a life sentence for a shooting that killed a 1-year-old girl on Christmas Day, 2015, was " taken into custody without injuries to anyone." WYFF reports that a woman, Jacobia Crisp, was arrested in another county and charged with felony aiding and abetting a fugitive.

Aug 14, 2024 7:01 AM CDT

A massive manhunt is on in the state of North Carolina after a murderer being transported to a doctor appointment broke free from his restraints and escaped into the woods. Officials say that 30-year-old Ramone Alston—convicted for the 2015 Christmas Day shooting death of 1-year-old Maleah Williams and sentenced to life behind bars—was being taken by van Tuesday morning from the Bertie Correctional Institution in Windsor to an appointment at a Hillsborough medical facility when he escaped, per NBC News.

According to a statement from the state's Department of Adult Correction, Alston had somehow "freed himself from leg restraints," and so when the van pulled up to the medical facility, Alston, "still in handcuffs, jumped out and ran into adjacent woods." He was reported to be wearing a waist chain, along with a gray T-shirt, khaki trousers, and white New Balance sneakers, per WRAL. Alston is believed to have relatives and friends in the Hillsborough area. "We know that there are people out there who know where he is and probably have information to share," department rep Keith Acree told reporters.

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Acree added, per ABC News: "He's unpredictable. We don't know what he's going to do, so he should certainly probably be considered dangerous. People make rash decisions at a time like this. He's already made one very large rash decision this morning." The Department of Adult Correction is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to Alston's capture. Officials say that people should call 911 or the sheriff's office at 919-245-2900 if they spot Alston. (More prison escape stories.)