3 escaped inmates caught at Red Roof Inn in North Carolina following nationwide manhunt; 4th inmate on loose
CARY, N.C. -- Three escaped inmates from Ohio, who reportedly used a shank to overpower two jail guards, were caught in Cary, North Carolina on Monday morning after an hours-long search. Another inmate is still loose.
Cary officials said the three men were arrested at the Red Roof Inn on Walnut Street just before 2 a.m. Ohio authorities alerted Cary Police Department that the inmates would be in the area.
Troy McDaniel Jr., Brynn Martin and Christopher Clemente were the three men taken into custody without incident. As of 4:45 a.m., Cary police officers said they had called off the search for a fourth inmate, Lawrence Lee III.
Lee is not in custody. Police K-9's tried to track Lee's scent, but were unsuccessful. Gallia County Sheriff's Office previously said all of the inmates should be considered "extremely dangerous," however Cary Police Department said Lee was "not believed to be a danger." Cary Police Department still warned citizens not to approach him but to call 911 if they think they've spotted him.
Ohio officials said the four men were previously behind bars at a county jail in Gallipolis, Ohio. On Sunday, they overpowered two female corrections officers using the shank and escaped by stealing the keys to a police vehicle. A shank is commonly referred to as a makeshift knife.
They drove that police vehicle a few blocks before ditching it in favor of a car that was waiting for them. Gallia County Sheriff Matt Champlin said someone on the outside deliberately left that car for the inmates to use to make their getaway.
After being arrested, McDaniel Jr., Martin and Clemente were taken to the Wake County Public Safety Center. They are awaiting extradition to Ohio. ABC11 was the only media camera at the Wake County Magistrate as the captured inmates were being processed.
Court records show the men were behind bars on charges of domestic violence, assault, menacing, drug possession, burglary and unlawful restraint.
