Updated on: August 16, 2024 / 8:30 AM EDT / CBS/AP
Ramone Alston, who escaped custody after being convicted for the murder of a one-year-old girl, was apprehended early Friday morning at a hotel in Kannapolis, a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. This follows a multi-day manhunt that concluded with his capture outside the city.
Alston, 30, managed to break free from leg restraints while being transported to the UNC Gastroenterology hospital in Hillsborough, North Carolina, on Tuesday. He fled into the surrounding woods while still handcuffed, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
The department confirmed that the arrest occurred without any injuries. The extensive search involved numerous law enforcement agencies, including FBI Charlotte SWAT agents, Kannapolis Police, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.
A reward for information leading to Alston's capture had reached $50,000, though the specific details of how authorities located him remain undisclosed.
Following Alston's arrest, a woman identified as Jacobia Crisp was taken into custody in Alamance County and charged with felony aiding and abetting a fugitive.
Alston will now face charges of felony escape and will be transferred to a high-security unit within the state prison system. He will continue serving his life sentence for the first-degree murder of Maleah Williams, a one-year-old who was fatally shot while playing outside her family's apartment in Chapel Hill on Christmas Day 2015. The investigation is ongoing to track Alston’s activities since his escape, identify any additional accomplices, and determine if he committed further crimes during his flight.
Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood had previously urged local residents to check their home security footage for any signs of Alston and to remain vigilant, describing him as extremely dangerous and unpredicta
