Inmate escapes during prison transfer by telling cops he has to vomit, NC sheriff says
Law enforcement in North Carolina are looking for a 33-year-old man who escaped custody Friday using a stomach-churning excuse.
Joshua Lee Stewart was on his way from the Guilford County Detention Center in Greensboro to Alamance County when he reportedly told two drivers of a transport van he was going to throw up, WRAL reported.
“Officers gave him a vomit bag and somehow he got out and ran off,” according to WFMY.
Stewart was en route to the Alamance County Detention Center on a failure-to-appear-charge around 9:40 a.m. when he convinced officers to pull over at Arlington Street and East McColloch Street in Greensboro, the TV station reported.
That’s when he saw a Chevy SUV — with the keys in the ignition — FOX 8 reported.
Stewart drove off as one of the detention officers tried to open the door, according to WFMY. The officer was dragged a few blocks, FOX 8 reported.
According to WRAL, the officer was treated for minor injuries. Stewart eventually abandoned the vehicle and ran on foot.
Law enforcement and K-9 units searched the area for more than four hours Friday but were unsuccessful, FOX 8 reported. The Greensboro Police Department also helped in the search.
Officials don’t believe Stewart is armed, according to WRAL.
He faces three felony charges for escape, assault with a deadly weapon and larceny of a motor vehicle, the TV station reported.
According to FOX 8, anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Guilford County Crimestoppers at 336-373-1000 or Alamance County Crimestoppers at 336-229-7100.
