KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (WITN) – An escaped murderer serving a life sentence for a 2015 death is back in custody after a multiday manhunt following his escape from a transport vehicle.
The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction says Ramone Alston was captured just before 2 a.m. today at a hotel on Cloverleaf Parkway in Kannapolis.
Authorities say Alston escaped at UNC Hospitals in Hillsborough Tuesday morning by freeing himself from leg restraints, and while still in handcuffs, jumping out from a prison transport vehicle and running into some nearby woods.
Alston was the only inmate in the van at the time, according to Orange County authorities.
Shortly after being arrested, law enforcement says Jacobia Crisp, a friend of Alston, was arrested in Alamance County. She is charged with felony aiding and abetting a fugitive.
Alston will be charged with felony escape from prison and is being taken to a high-security unit in the state prison system. In prison, officials say he will continue serving his life sentence for the first-degree murder of a 1-year-old girl on Christmas Day in Chapel Hill and await court appearances for his escape charges.
The reward for a Bertie Correctional inmate who escaped Tuesday in Hillsborough was increased to $50,000 Thursday.
Gov. Roy Cooper authorized a $30,000 reward from the state, while the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service both added $10,000 to the fund.
The DAC says the investigation for Alston’s escape will continue to figure out his movements after hopping from the transport van, to find out if anyone else helped, and to determine if he committed any other crimes while on the run.
The two correctional officers who were transporting Alston remain on the job. The Department of Adult Correction says there’s no indication the two did anything wrong.
The DAC says there will be an internal personnel investigation, which is standard in all escapes. The department says both officers have been with them for several years.
People with information on the whereabouts of the escapee should call 919-324-1082.