After three days on the run, convicted murderer Ramone Alston has been recaptured in Kannapolis, as confirmed by several sources. Alston, 31, was serving a life sentence for the murder of one-year-old Maleah Williams on Christmas Day in 2015, had made a daring escape. The hunt came to an end early Friday when law enforcement officials, including the FBI, raided a hotel where Alston was hiding.
The extensive manhunt that put Alston back behind bars involved hundreds of officers from various agencies. According to a report by QC News, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, FBI, and Kannapolis Police conducted an operation around 2 a.m. on Friday at the Microtel Inn & Suites on Cloverleaf Parkway. Alston now faces additional charges for escaping on top of his life sentence. A related complicit in the escape, Jacobia Crisp, was arrested in Alamance County and charged with felony aiding and abetting a fugitive.
Alston escaped Tuesday morning while arriving at a Hillsborough hospital for an appointment. He freed himself from leg restraints and surprised the correctional officers. After being recaptured, Alston will face charges of felony escape and be transferred to a high-security prison unit. The incident has highlighted flaws in the security measures during prisoner transport, according to abc11.
"I am grateful to our DAC staff and thankful for the support and effort from hundreds of local, state and federal public safety officers who helped in the search and investigation that returned Alston safely to custody," stated Secretary of the Department of Adult Correction Todd Ishee, highlighting the collaborative effort behind the successful capture. "This was an incredible collaborative effort of many people and agencies," he added. The statement, obtained from Chapelboro.com, acknowledges the broad inter-agency cooperation that was essential to the operation’s success.
Alston's recapture shows the need for strict vigilance in managing high-risk inmates. Governor Roy Cooper's $50,000 reward led to an intense law enforcement response that has now concluded.
