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A video taken on January 27, 2022, shows a police lieutenant handcuffing and arresting Army veteran Jeff Gray for allegedly panhandling outside Alpharetta City Hall. The city has settled a resulting lawsuit for violating the First Amendment.
A manhunt was launched after a convicted murderer managed to evade authorities on his way to medical treatment at a nearby hospital.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, 30-year-old Ramone Jamarr Alston escaped from the custody of North Carolina Department of Corrections officials while being transported from Bertie Correctional Institution to UNC Gastroenterology at Hillsborough for treatment.
Alston was last seen wearing a gray t-shirt, brown pants, and white New Balance shoes. He was also wearing handcuffs attached to a belly chain with a black box above the connector.
In a 4:30 p.m. press conference, Orange County officials said they believe Alston had help in his escape attempts and have offered a $25,000 reward to anyone with information leading to his capture.
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Ramone Jamarr Alston, 30, escaped from the custody of North Carolina Department of Corrections officials while being transported from Bertie Correctional Institution to UNC Gastroenterology at Hillsborough for medical care. (Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
The 30-year-old convicted murderer managed to escape on the way to the hospital at 7 a.m. on Tuesday by freeing himself from his shackles, police said.
“How he (Alston) got her released, I don’t know,” said Sheriff Charles Blackwood.
When the vehicle door was opened, he jumped out and ran into a nearby forest.
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According to police, he was guarded by two armed prison officers.
“If someone has the intention of going somewhere you don’t know, they’re going to go there and run,” Blackwood said. “And then it happens, boom, boom. The gentleman started running as soon as he put his foot on the ground to get out of the vehicle.”
Ramone Jamarr Alston was last seen wearing a gray t-shirt, brown pants, and white New Balance shoes. He was also wearing handcuffs attached to a belly chain with a black box above the connector. (Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
The two officers pursued Alston but were unable to catch him.
“Policy often dictates what we do when we move an inmate somewhere, and that’s true in the (Department of) Adult Corrections as well,” Blackwood continued. “We have secure lockers that we sometimes put our weapons in when we move an inmate from one place to another, and that protocol was followed this morning.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina is offering $25,000 for information leading to the capture of Ramone Jamarr Alston. (Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
Police stressed the importance and scope of the ongoing manhunt for Alston.
“As far as the community is concerned, there are two ways to look at this,” Sheriff Blackwood said during a press conference. “He’s either within a five-mile radius or he’s out in the world. And we’re looking in both areas.”
Sheriff Blackwood urged residents to lock their windows and doors and report any suspicious activity to police.
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Alston, who was serving a life sentence at the Bertie Correctional Institution in Windsor, North Carolina, was responsible for the murder of one-year-old Maleah Williams on Christmas Day 2015.
Alston was found guilty of first-degree murder.
