A convicted murderer escaped from custody Tuesday morning while being transported to a medical appointment at a North Carolina hospital, the sheriff’s office said.
Ramone Alston, 30, broke away from a corrections officer while being escorted to UNC Hospital in Hillsborough, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
These undated booking photos courtesy of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office show Ramone Alton.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office
“He had freed himself from leg restraints and, still in handcuffs, jumped out and ran into adjacent woods,” the department said in a statement.
He was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, brown pants and white New Balance sneakers, as well as handcuffs attached to a waist chain, officials said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Alston’s whereabouts were still unknown.
Police are seen at the UNC Hospitals Hillsborough campus where Ramone Alston escaped custody, August 13, 2024, in Hillsborough, NC
WTVD
Officials ask the public to immediately call 911 if they see him and warn them not to approach him.
“He’s unpredictable – we don’t know what he’s going to do, so he should probably be considered dangerous,” Keith Acree, a spokesman for the adult crime division, said at a news conference. “People make rash decisions at a time like this; he’s already made a very big rash decision this morning.”
The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to Alston’s capture.
Alston was convicted of shooting and killing a 1-year-old girl on Christmas Day 2015. He is serving a life sentence.
That infant victim, Maleah Williams, had been playing outside with her Christmas toys when she was hit by gunfire, her mother said earlier. Raleigh ABC station WTVD.