One of 4 escapees from Prince George federal prison still on the run; others surrendered

Bill Atkinson, The Progress-Index
·3 min read
The U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons are investigating the June 18, 2022 escape of four inmates from the Federal Correctional Complex-Petersburg's satellite camp.
The U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons are investigating the June 18, 2022 escape of four inmates from the Federal Correctional Complex-Petersburg's satellite camp.

PRINCE GEORGE — Three of four inmates who walked away from a low-security satellite camp at the Federal Correctional Complex-Petersburg over the weekend are back in custody after surrendering, while the fourth remains at large and is likely in his home area of Hampton Roads, a U.S. Marshals Service official said Tuesday.

Lamonte Rashawn Willis, 30, of Suffolk, is the last of the four escapees, Kevin Connolly, a supervisor with the U.S. Marshals Capital Regional Fugitive Task Force in Richmond, told The Progress-Index Tuesday afternoon. The longer Willis stays gone, the harder it will be on him if he does not go ahead and turn himself in, Connolly said.

"Being gone for a number of days now, if we're still looking for him, it's going to be tougher on him than if he just surrenders," Connolly said. "We're hopeful he takes care of this on his own."

The other escapees — Corey Branch, Tavares Lajuane Graham and Kareem Allen Shaw — voluntarily returned to the Prince George County prison. Graham turned himself in Sunday, roughly 24 hours after leaving, while Branch and Shaw surrendered early Tuesday morning.

Lamonte Rashawn Willis, 30, of Suffolk, is the only one of the four who escaped June 18 to still be at-large.
Lamonte Rashawn Willis, 30, of Suffolk, is the only one of the four who escaped June 18 to still be at-large.

A message left with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, FCC-Petersburg's parent agency, to find out the current status of the three and whether they will be allowed to stay here or be transferred has not yet been answered.

The four escapees were considered "trustees," meaning they were able to work and interact outside of FCC-Petersburg will limited supervision, Connolly said. He said they were not "over-the fence or over-the wall guys" but ones whose good behavior behind bars prompted FCC-Petersburg officials to give them more leeway in their transition back to society.

"Obviously all of that will change," Connolly said. "Any of these guys will forever lose their trust for however long they have to stay [in jail]."

Smuggling contraband: Riverside Regional Jail says two Colonial Heights women were caught bringing drugs to jail

All four men were serving sentences on various drug convictions. Three of them were also convicted of weapons violations.

At 30, Willis was the youngest of the four and also had the longest amount of time left on his sentence, according to Connolly. He was scheduled for release in 2030.

The other escapees are in their 40s.

They were discovered missing after an impromptu prisoner count was done around 9:30 p.m. at the satellite camp located on the FCC Petersburg property. They were officially listed as having escaped around 1:45 a.m. Saturday, which is when the manhunt began.

Connolly said there is no evidence any of the men were involved in any criminal activity while they were out. They were believed to have been at a motel in the Petersburg area at some point during the search.

"They might have gone partying and did not know there was an impromptu prison count," Connolly said. Regardless, he added, they knew what time they were supposed to return.

"They basically were abusing their privileges and got caught," Connolly said.

If Willis surrenders as opposed to being captured, Connolly said, he could be given time-credit toward his sentence. As of now, all of the men are looking at a possible five-year extension of their sentences for the escape.

The Marshals Service is offering a $2,000 reward for information that will lead to Willis' arrest. Anyone who may have information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the service at this link: https://www.usmarshals.gov/tips/index.html, or through the USMS Tips app.

Connolly cautioned that anyone who knows where Willis is or any other information about what happened while the four men were out and does not share that information could be charged with being an accessory after-the-fact.

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist and daily news coach for USA TODAY Network's Atlantic Region which includes Virginia. He is based in Petersburg, Virginia. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: VA prison escapee asked by marshals to 'make it easier' and surrender