Advertisement

Alabama prisoner recaptured after second escape in three weeks

Shane Anthony Vernon, 27, a prisoner who escaped from Coosa County jail for the second time in three weeks on November 19, 2017, is shown in this booking photo provided November 22, 2017. Coosa County Jail/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - An Alabama prisoner was captured in DeKalb County, Georgia, on Tuesday, just days after his second jailbreak in three weeks, authorities said on Wednesday.

Shane Anthony Vernon, 27, was taken into custody without incident late Tuesday by DeKalb County Police just west of Atlanta, about 150 miles from the Coosa County jail in Alabama from which he escaped twice, the Coosa County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Vernon, who ditched a stolen car on Sunday then eluded officers on foot in the woods of neighboring Elmore County, north of Montgomery, is being held in the DeKalb County jail and awaiting extradition to Alabama, the sheriff's office said.

Vernon had previously broken out of the Coosa County jail on Oct. 29 when he pulled out of his restraints while being booked for burglary and theft, the sheriff's office said. That time, he was captured a day later, it said.

For his second escape on Sunday, Vernon crawled through the jail's ceiling and bypassed four secure doors, Coosa County Sheriff Terry Wilson said on Monday in a telephone interview.

Vernon later broke into a home where he encountered the homeowners, Wilson said.

"He robbed them, he tied them up and fled the scene of their home in their vehicle," he added.

(Reporting by Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis and David Gregorio)