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The investigation was launched after the convicted killer escaped from police while on his way to a nearby hospital for treatment.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Ramon Jamar Alston, 30, escaped from the custody of North Carolina Department of Corrections officers while being transported from Bertie Correctional Facility to the University of North Carolina Gastroenterology Department at Hillsboro for treatment.
Alston was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, brown pants, white New Balance shoes, and handcuffs attached to a chain around his abdomen with a black box attached to the handcuffs.
At a 4:30 p.m. press conference, Orange County authorities said they believe Alston had accomplices in his escape and that they are offering a $25,000 reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the suspect’s arrest.
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Ramon Jamar Alston, 30, was being transferred from Bertie Correctional Facility to the University of North Carolina at Hillsboro’s gastroenterology department for treatment when he escaped from custody of North Carolina Department of Corrections officers. (Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
Police said the 30-year-old man, who is a convicted murderer, escaped from his leg restraints while on his way to the hospital at 7am on Tuesday.
“he [Alston] “We don’t know if they dropped them off,” Sheriff Charles Blackwood said.
The car door opened and he jumped out and ran into a nearby wooded area.
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Police said two armed corrections officers were guarding him.
“If someone’s going somewhere they don’t know, that’s where they’re going to go, and they’re going to run,” Blackwood said, “And then we heard bang, bang. As soon as the guy put his feet on the ground to get out of the car, he took off running.”
Ramon “Jamar” Alston was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, brown pants, white New Balance shoes, and had handcuffs attached to a chain around his abdomen with a black box attached to the handcuffs. (Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
The two officers pursued Alston but were unable to catch up.
“Where we send prisoners is often determined by policy. [Department of] Blackwood added, “Adult correctional facilities have secure locked boxes in which to place guns when inmates are transported from one location to another, and that procedure was followed this morning.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Ramone Jamar Alston. (Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
Police stressed the importance and scope of the ongoing search effort to recapture Alston.
“In terms of the community, there are two ways you can look at this case,” Sheriff Blackwood said at a press conference. “Either he’s within a five-mile radius or he’s somewhere else in the world. We’re looking for both.”
Sheriff Blackwood urged residents to keep their windows and doors locked and to report any suspicious behaviour to police.
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Alston, who was serving a life sentence at Bertie Correctional Institution in Windsor, North Carolina, was the killer of one-year-old Mariah Williams on Christmas Day in 2015.
Alston was convicted of first-degree murder.
