Aug. 13 (UPI) — Authorities in North Carolina are hunting for a convicted murderer who escaped police custody Tuesday morning as he was being transported to a Hillsborough medical center.
Ramon Alston, 30, escaped at around 7 a.m. by jumping from a transport van that had arrived at University of North Carolina Gastroenterology, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction said in a statement.
He had managed to free himself from leg restraints and, with his hands still handcuffed, ran into adjacent woods.
Alston is described as a Black man with friends and family in the area.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office that serves the Hillsborough area said he was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, brown pants and white New Balance tennis shoes. His handcuffs are connected to a belly chain.
A “massive” ground search operation has been launched in a 1-2 mile radius around the UNC Hospitals Hillsborough Campus, the sheriff’s office said, with residents being informed that they are likely to see a “heavy” law enforcement presence in the area.
Officers from multiple agencies have been checking outbuildings, ravines, unlocked vehicles and any area that may provide Alston with cover, it said.
“While the number one objective is to locate where Alston is, it is also imperative that we determine where he is not,” Emergency Services Director Kirby Saunders said in a statement. “Efforts will continue until Alston is in custody.”
Police are urging people in the area to keep cars, doors and windows locked.
A $25,000 has been offered for information that leads to his recapture.
Alston escaped as he was serving a life sentence at Bertie Correctional after being convicted of first-degree murder in 2018 for the Christmas Day killing of 1-year-old Maleah Williams three years prior.
