Inmate search: Video shows men running down hallway at Vance Detention Center
By WRAL Staff
Click here for updates on this story
VANCE COUNTY, North Carolina (WRAL) — The FBI joined the search on Thursday for two armed and dangerous inmates who escaped the Vance County Detention Center.
The FBI and Vance County Crime Stoppers are offering a combined reward of up to $40,000 to find and capture Michael Miles, 33, and Lishawn Knott, 21, who escaped around 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Officials said a reward of up to $20,000 is offered for each individual.
On Thursday, the FBI and Vance County Sheriff’s Office distributed a brief clip of the two men running down a hallway at the detention center. Authorities believe they were sprinting toward two vehicles.
Digital billboards are going up across the state to expand the search.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, both Miles and Knott knew each other before they were arrested. Officials said both men were being held for multiple state drug trafficking and gun-related charges.
WRAL’s Sky 5 flew over a nearby scene on Ransom and Breckenridge streets where authorities were searching for the two missing inmates. Sheriff’s Deputies say both are considered armed and dangerous.
Not long after the search began in Vance County, law enforcement in Wake County was told to be alert.
“Wake units, be advised of a jail break: inmates from Vance County, going to be two black males heading towards the apartments on Young Street, two possible suspect vehicles, including an older model Chevy Tahoe… a black Ford pickup truck,” according to Broadcastify emergency response radio traffic.
Officials said Miles is 6 feet tall and weighs about 180 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes and a prominent neck tattoo.
Knott is 5’11 and weighs about 160 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes, and has numerous face tattoos, including a large cross on his forehead.
Officials ask nearby residents to check their home security cameras or trail/hunting camera footage to assist in real-time tracking of the two inmates.
Officials also ask residents to lock their cars, close their garage doors and lock up their sheds.
This escape had brought other concerns about safety and security at the jail to light. Ashley McSwain, whose fiancé is incarcerated there, said she contacted jail officials in the last week about safety and security concerns, including cell doors not locking and a lack of inmate supervision.
“There has been reports that a lot of the cells are broken; they don’t lock or latch,” McSwain said. “So if there is an inmate with some issues on the streets, you’re probably gonna get beat down because the cells are not locking.”
In April, a Vance County jail supervisor was accused of raping an inmate. During a January county commissioners meeting, Sheriff Curtis Brame said the detention center was “scrambling” and “hurting” and that he worried for officer and inmate safety.
WRAL News reached out to the Vance County Sheriff’s Office about McSwain’s claims, as well as how the inmates were able to escape and how they were able to gain access to a firearm so quickly after getting out. We have not yet received a response.
Deputies encourage anyone who may see the inmates not to approach them but instead to call the Vance County Sheriff’s Office at (252) 738-2200 or Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers at (252) 492-1925. People can also submit anonymous tips through the P3 Tips mobile app.
The investigation is still ongoing.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.