The exhaustive search in North Carolina for an escaped prisoner convicted of murder continued Thursday as officials increased the reward for his capture.
Federal, state and local authorities had been searching for Ramone Jamarr Alston, 30, who escaped from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction at about 7 a.m. Tuesday. Alston was about to receive medical care at UNC Hospital in Hillsborough when he broke free from leg restraints and ran into the adjacent woods, the department said in a statement.
Gov. Roy Cooper, the FBI, and the U.S. Marshals Service approved upping the reward to $50,000 for anyone with information on Alston' whereabouts. He was serving a life prison sentence for shooting and killing a 1-year-old girl in 2015.
"I urge anyone with information to please come forward and contact the Department of Adult Correction tipline,” Cooper said in a statement .
Alston was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, brown pants, and white New Balance tennis shoes, according to officials. He also was wearing handcuffs connected to a waist chain at the time of the incident. Cooper's office said Alston may have changed his appearance since escaping.
A police photograph of Ramone Alston, 30, released by the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Orange County Sheriff's Department
"He's extremely cagey, extremely dangerous. And he has nothing to lose," Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said during a Wednesday briefing.
"Somebody knows out there that this was planned, and they know who's involved in it, and we hope that motivates them to do the right thing and let us know so that we can bring this to a successful conclusion and a just conclusion," he said.
Authorities contacted some of Alston's family members, and their "cooperation has been varied," according to Blackwood. Officials also were interviewing two transport officers tasked with guarding Alston.
Blackwood said he went to high school with Alston's father, and had known Alston since he was born. "He was a troubled child, and he's been involved in criminal activity since he was a juvenile," he said.
Authorities have advised residents to report any suspicious activities and to keep doors, vehicles, and windows locked. "If anyone sees Alston, please do not approach," the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction warned.
Blackwood urged the public to look at Alston's facial features in the photograph released by deputies. "It's quite likely and probable" that Alston cut his dreadlocks after the escape, he said.
North Carolina Department of Adult Correction Spokesperson Keith Acree told USA TODAY the ground search is complete and the department is working with investigators and intelligence analysts to evaluate all incoming information and possible leads. It is not known if Alston has left the state.
Alston was serving a life sentence at the Bertie Correctional Institution in Windsor, about 150 miles east of Hillsborough. He was convicted of fatally shooting 1-year-old Maleah Williams in Chapel Hill on Christmas Day 2015, according to authorities.
Local news outlets reported Alston was found guilty of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison in 2018.
The girl's mother, Tylena Williams, told WTVD in 2019 that Maleah was shot in the head while playing with a group of children outside her godparents' apartment. Alston and his friend, Pierre Je Bron Moore, had opened fire at the apartment complex in a drive-by shooting, according to Spectrum News .
Both Alston and Moore took a plea deal, with Moore receiving a sentence of 28 to 34 years in prison in 2019, according to WTVD.
why is there no pictures of people that are being looked for?
Offcaps
08-14
What do you expect from a service that is not fit for purpose, totally unprofessional and completely useless. I should know I have worked with them, they are only interested in getting their breaks!
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