A manhunt has been launched after a convicted murderer managed to escape law enforcement’s grasp on the way to receive medical care at a nearby hospital.

According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Ramone Jamarr Alston, 30, escaped from the custody of officers from the North Carolina Department of Corrections while being transported from Bertie Correctional Institution to UNC Gastroenterology in Hillsborough to receive care.

Alston was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, brown pants and white New Balance shoes. He was also wearing handcuffs connected to a belly chain with a black box over the junction.

In a 4:30 p.m. press conference, Orange County officials said they believe Alston had help in his escape efforts and offered a $25,000 reward to anyone who can provide information that would lead to his capture.

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The 30-year-old convicted killer managed to escape by freeing himself of leg restraints on the way to the hospital at 7 a.m. Tuesday, police said.

“How he [Alston] got them off, I don’t know,” Sheriff Charles Blackwood said.

Once the vehicle door was opened, he jumped out and ran to a wooded area nearby.

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Police said two armed corrections officers were guarding him. 

“If someone has an intent to go where you don’t know, they’re going to go, and they run,” Blackwood said. “And it happens, bang, bang. The gentleman, as soon as he put his foot on the ground to get out of the vehicle, took off running.” 

Ramone Jamarr Alston was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, brown pants and white New Balance shoes. He was also wearing handcuffs connected to a belly chain with a black box over the junction. (Orange County Sheriff’s Office)

The two officers chased Alston but were unable to catch up with him. 

“Policy a lot of times dictates what we do when we deliver an inmate wherever, and the same with the [Department of] Adult Corrections,” Blackwood continued. “We have secure lock boxes that we put our guns in sometimes when we’re moving an inmate from one place to the other, 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 to recapture Alston.

“As far as the community goes, there are two ways of looking at this,” Sheriff Blackwood said during a media briefing. “He’s either within a five-mile radius or he’s in the rest of the world. And we’re searching both.”

Sheriff Blackwood encouraged residents to lock their windows and doors and report any suspicious activity to police.

Alston, who had been serving a life sentence at Bertie Correctional Institution in Windsor, North Carolina, was responsible for the murder of 1-year-old Maleah Williams on Christmas Day 2015.

Alston was found guilty of first-degree murder.

A city in Georgia will change its free speech policies and pay $55,000 to settle a lawsuit, more than two years after police arrested a veteran for allegedly panhandling.

Jeff Gray, an Army veteran and self-described First Amendment auditor, frequently travels around the southeast, stands on public property, and holds a sign saying “God bless the homeless vets.” He does this to test officials’ reactions, and frequently captures video of police who accuse him of illegal protesting or panhandling.

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In January 2022, Gray’s camera was rolling while he held his sign outside Alpharetta City Hall and called out, “God bless the homeless vets” to people who passed by. Soon, a police lieutenant approached him and said two people had reported Gray for panhandling.

“I’m not panhandling, I’m just saying, ‘God bless the homeless veterans’ on public property,” Gray can be heard saying in the video as Lt. Arick Furr handcuffed him. Furr also took Gray’s camera and turned it off, telling Gray it was to preserve the battery, according to audio still being recorded on Gray’s Apple Watch.

Another officer “joined in the detention” and “interrogated and berated Gray before eventually releasing him” without charges, according to the lawsuit. But when he tried to resume his sign-holding, police again asked him to leave, and Gray complied.

With the help of the nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), Gray sued the city of Alpharetta in 2023.

The city settled last month, agreeing to change its policies and pay $55,000. Most of that will go to Gray, while a portion will pay his lawyers.

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“Alpharetta officers tried to run [Gray] out of town because they thought holding a sign was disorderly conduct,” FIRE attorney Adam Steinbaugh said in a statement. “They’ll think twice next time.”

The city must also provide “two hours of First Amendment training” to each officer per year in 2024 and 2025. The training will mostly focus on freedom of speech and its relationship with assembly rights, the right to record police activity, the use of profanity toward officers and refusals to answer officers’ questions, according to the settlement.

Alpharetta officials and Furr’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Even if Gray had been panhandling, the First Amendment protects people’s right to ask others for money, FIRE pointed out. Yet police in the city of about 67,000 residents stopped people on numerous occasions and threatened them with citations or arrest, according to public records obtained by FIRE.

Police are now prohibited from making blanket statements that panhandling is illegal, according to Alpharetta’s new policy, which took effect July 18.

“However, officers may explain that ordinances or state law limits panhandling in certain areas or manners, provided that explanation accurately conveys existing ordinances or state law,” the new policy adds.

Alpharetta officers accused of violating the First Amendment will also face a higher level of internal investigation, according to FIRE.

Army veteran and retired truck driver Jeff Gray frequently tests officials’ response to activities he says are protected by the First Amendment, like holding a sign on public property. (Courtesy of Lacy Jessica Photography)

FIRE also represented Gray in lawsuits against two other Georgia cities.

In Blackshear, police cited Gray for holding his sign without a permit, and in Port Wentworth, Gray was arrested for refusing to leave the area outside city hall where he was holding his sign, according to the lawsuits.

Both lawsuits were settled last year.

A Tennessee dental office has fired staff involved in a viral video mocking a cancer patient’s personal diary, according to a statement.

The video, posted to Snapchat originally, was captioned “Found a patients journal and now its story time lmao.” The staff members present are heard laughing while the journal entry details cancer treatment progress.

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In the video, Premier Dental Group staff can be seen reading the diary aloud in the office. It is unknown to whom the journal belongs.

Some of the journal entry reads, “I’m not going to do any dialysis, radiation treatment or infusions.” Staff members present in the video laugh at the options presented and concerns the patient has over them.

Since the video has been posted, the Premier Dental Group of Knoxville has been bombarded on public pages like Yelp with negative reviews.

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“Premier Dental Group of Knoxville has become aware of an incident where employees were involved in videoing inappropriate behavior. This conduct is completely unacceptable and does not align with our company values,” Premier Dental Group of Knoxville wrote in a statement on Google.

“As a result, the employees responsible have been terminated, effective immediately. We are committed to maintaining a respectful and professional environment for everyone, and we will continue to take necessary actions to uphold these standards.”

It is unknown how many staff members participated in the video or who read the patient’s journal.

Premier Dental Group of Knoxville did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.