Former WNC man charged with child rape escaped prison transport van, still on the run
A former Western North Carolina man, who’s been indicted on multiple counts of state and federal child sex charges in Tennessee, escaped a prison transport van Oct. 18 and is still on the run from law enforcement.
Sean Christopher Williams, 51, was scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Greeneville, Tennessee, for a hearing and was placed in a transport vehicle by a detention officer in Laurel County, Kentucky, as reported by the Knoxville News Sentinel.
When the transport van arrived at the Greeneville courthouse around 8:30 a.m. Oct. 18, the detention deputy discovered the back window of the van had been kicked out, court records say.
"During travel, it appears that the inmate was able to utilize a component of the van's headrest to free himself from his hand restraints (and) then to pry the protective screening and force the side window out of the rear of the transport vehicle," Laurel County Jailer Jamie Mosley posted on Facebook. "He then exited the vehicle through the window area. He was spotted moments later covered with blood in the Davis Street area of Greenville."
Numerous investigators from several agencies are helping in the investigation to find Williams, who was last seen on the morning of his escape, spokesperson Brady McCarron with the U.S. Marshals Service told the Citizen Times Nov. 14.
McCarron said the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are the primary agencies working the case, with other agencies helping as needed.
"I cannot confirm the exact number (of officers), but there are several from each agency that are part of the core investigative group," McCarron said. "The number varies from day to day depending on the number of leads that the team is tracking down."
A TBI wanted poster describes Williams as a white male, with brown hair and hazel eyes, 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 170 pounds.
Williams was previously found sleeping in a car on Western Carolina University’s campus in Cullowhee, about an hour west of Asheville. He was arrested April 29 by a part-time WCU police officer, who found Williams asleep in his vehicle and in possession of cocaine and methamphetamine, as reported by the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Property records also indicate that Williams ― who is currently on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Most Wanted list ― has ties to North Carolina with previous residences in Cullowhee and Burlington.
The list says Williams is wanted “for two counts of rape of a child, sixteen counts of esp. aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of aggravated sexual battery (under 13).”
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Williams was federally indicted on Sept. 12 for “producing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct,” according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Tennessee. Prior to his escape, a trial was set for Jan. 23, 2024, according to the release.
He’s also been at the center of two lawsuits that allege the Johnson City police knowingly failed to investigate multiple complaints from alleged sexual assault victims. Williams is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting more than 50 women, according to reporting from The Tennessean.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to $5,000 and TBI is offering up to $2,500 for information leading to Williams' arrest. Tipsters can contact the U.S. Marshals at USMS84.TIPS@usdoj.gov, 423-638-3391, or 865-824-3801; or TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND or email TipsToTBI@tbi.tn.gov.
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Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Former WNC man charged with child rape escaped TN police custody
