Escaped murderer Ramone Alston was captured shortly before 2 a.m. Friday at a hotel on Cloverleaf Parkway in Kannapolis, where FBI Charlotte SWAT agents, Kannapolis police and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police arrested him.
A short time later, Jacobia Crisp – an "acquaintance" of Alston's – was arrested in Alamance County and charged with felony aiding and abetting a fugitive. Crisp posted bond at 10:33 a.m. Friday at the Alamance County Detention Center, according to the Alamance County Sheriff's Office.
During a Friday afternoon news conference, Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said the relationship between Alston and Crisp started about two months ago, with Alston serving a life sentence for murder. Blackwood did not say how the relationship began, but said the pair communicated mostly by phone.
Authorities are still working to see if anyone else was involved in Alston's escape. The Orange County Sheriff's Office asked anyone with information to call 919-324-1082.
"[Alston's] recapture happened without injury to anyone, which is a significant and reassuring for all of us," said North Carolina Department of Adult Correction Secretary Todd Ishee during a Friday afternoon news conference.
After his capture, Alston was taken to Granville Correctional Center, which Ishee called the most secure in the state's prison system. Alston will be charged with felony escape from prison. He will resume serving his life sentence and, if convicted on the escape charges, that sentence would be added on.
The state has yet to say whether anyone earned the $50,000 reward which had been offered for information leading to Alston's arrest.
"I've been in law enforcement for 22 years, and I have never seen an effort like this work with such synchronicity as I have over the past few days,” said FBI special agent in charge Bob DeWitt.
Alston escaped Tuesday morning while authorities were taking him to the UNC Hospitals Hillsborough campus for treatment. Hundreds of law enforcement and public safety officials were involved in the days-long search for him.
Investigators are still working to determine whether Alston committed any other crimes while on the run.
On Friday, Ishee said he could not provide an estimate for how much it cost to track down and arrest Alston. Ishee said the two corrections officers who were taking Alston to the hospital when he escaped would have duties that do not involve transportation while an internal investigation is conducted.
"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," Ishee said. "This was an incredible collaborative effort of many people and agencies."
District Attorney Jeff Nieman provided a statement following Alston's arrest:
"I want to express my deepest gratitude to our local, state and federal law enforcement partners for their diligent, around-the-clock efforts to take Mr. Alston into custody. We are acutely aware how unsettling this has been for the public here in Orange County and beyond. Rest assured, any crimes committed within our jurisdiction by Mr. Alston and any accomplices will be prosecuted by our office."
Hotel employee says she interacted with escaped murderer
WRAL News spoke Friday morning with a woman who works at a hotel where Alston stayed while he was on the run.
"He just seemed like a typical guest," Audrey Richardson said.
Richardson said no one at the hotel had any idea who he was. She said he didn't seem agitated or raise any red flags.
"He just seemed normal," she said. "Nobody knew who he was or what he had done."
Richardson said it was chaotic when law enforcement came to the hotel to question employees about Alston's whereabouts.
"It was quite crazy when they had gotten here," she said. "She showed me who he was, and I was like, 'I actually talked to him.'"
Richardson said she was baffled by the fact that Alston was able to escape and make it all the way to Kannapolis.
"It seemed like it was pretty easy, which is horrible," she said. "He could have hurt other people while he was out."
Richardson said she's happy that he'll never be able to harm another child.
"I think about that all the time when I'm in the hotel is how many murderers do I walk by?" she said.
The search for Ramone Alston
Correctional officers, hospital workers call 911 to report inmate's escape
On Thursday, authorities released recordings of two 911 calls placed from the scene of Alston's escape.
In one, the caller seems to be a correctional officer.
"We just had an inmate run away," she said. "My partner had just opened the door."
Alston was transported to UNC Hospitals Hillsborough, where he escaped before officers were able to get him inside.
"He took off running," the caller told dispatchers. "We were getting ready to pull him out the vehicle. He's got his cuffs on. He can't go that far."
In another call, someone said, "He just jumped out of the car and ran ... I'm at the hospital. One of my coworkers that works here saw him running down Waterstone Drive."
Authorities believe murderer had help with escape
On Wednesday, Blackwood said authorities had two "rock solid" leads. He didn't say what the leads were but directed his comments toward those involved.
"I want to make one thing very clear to anyone out there that was involved in helping him: The aiding and abetting an escape of an inmate such as this is a Class H felony," Blackwood said. "If we can prove that you were involved in this, you're going to be charged.
"We know you, and we're coming for you."
Keith Acree, DAC communications director, thanked the public on Wednesday for the tips they had provided as the search for Alston stretched into a third day.
"A lot of folks are providing information," he said. "We're very thankful for that, and we want to continue to encourage that. If you see something or if you know something, please come forward and share that information."
By Wednesday afternoon, authorities said they were confident Alston was no longer within a five-mile radius of UNC Gastroenterology at Hillsborough where he made his escape.
"We feel pretty comfortable from a search standpoint that defendant Alston is not in the immediate vicinity," Orange County Emergency Services Director Kirby Saunders said. "We are comfortable in saying that the community is not in immediate danger or an imminent risk right now."
Hundreds of people and dozens of law enforcement agencies had been involved in the search for Alston. Within the first two days, Saunders said they had searched 1,335 acres. Authorities had conducted door-to-door searches and looked through neighborhoods, woods and creeks.
Blackwood asked the public to look at their security cameras and send law enforcement any information that could help investigators determine Alston's whereabouts.
"I want to really emphasize cameras," Blackwood said. "Our neighborhoods are riddled with Ring cameras, and I just want to plead to the public if you're in that area of interest in Hillsborough, especially around the hospital and these neighborhoods, please check your Ring cams."
"If you see something, it might not mean anything to you, but it might mean something to us," he said. "So, even if it's just a very small thing ... let us know."
Escapee was serving a life sentence for murder
Alston was serving a life sentence at Bertie Correctional Institution for the first-degree murder of a 1-year-old girl. Maleah Williams was shot while playing outside her family's apartment in Chapel Hill on Christmas Day 2015. She died three days later after she was taken off life support.
Blackwood said he hasn’t spoken directly with Maleah's family, but he said his daughter has been in contact with the girl's aunt.
"They’re reliving this, and they’re hurting all over again," Blackwood said.
Jury deliberating in trial of man accused in 2015 death of Chapel Hill toddler
Alston has a long criminal record but not any previous escape attempts.
Blackwood said he knows Alston's father and has known Alston since he was born.
"He's extremely cagey; he's extremely dangerous," Blackwood said. "And he has nothing to lose."
How did a convicted murderer escape custody?
On Wednesday afternoon, Blackwood provided a timeline of Alston's escape, from when he was taken from Bertie County to Hillsborough:
- 3:56 a.m. Tuesday: Alston taken to intake at Bertie Correctional Institution.
- 4:07 a.m Tuesday: Alston put in a vehicle from the facility to UNC Gastroenterology.
- 6:50 a.m. Tuesday: Alston arrived at UNC Gastroenterology.
- 6:59 a.m. Tuesday: Alston escorted to the back of the building at UNC Gastroenterology.
- 7 a.m.: Alston ran and escaped.
- 7:01 a.m.: Authorities placed a call that Alston ran away.
According to authorities, Alston was the only inmate in the transport van along with two corrections officers. Blackwood said Alston freed himself from leg restraints and, still in handcuffs, jumped out and ran into the adjacent woods. He was never treated.
"They're much like a handcuff, but they're a little bit larger [and] fit around your ankles," Blackwood said of the leg restraints. "And, it's connected by chain, which is about 2.5 feet long, and it's designed to keep you from getting a large gait if you decide to walk or run away ... When you put your foot down, [it] puts pressure against your Achilles, which slows you a good bit.
"How he got them off, I don't know."
Blackwood said authorities were looking into whether Alston contacted anyone after his escape, adding he believes someone did. Blackwood said he does not believe a law enforcement officer assisted in Alston's escape.
Alston not the first inmate to escape custody at UNC Hospitals Hillsborough
A DAC spokesperson said a different offender tried to escape from UNC Hospitals Hillsborough in February 2023 during a medical procedure.
Authorities said the man ran out of the building while being chased by a corrections officer. An officer fired a single shot outside of the hospital. The inmate then laid down and surrendered.
Convicted murderer escapes: Why authorities drove him 150 miles to Orange County
Why was Alston taken to a hospital more than two hours from the prison?
Alston escaped Tuesday while he was being transported to receive care at UNC Gastroenterology at Hillsborough, located at 460 Waterstone Drive, according to the DAC.
WRAL News asked why Alston was taken to an out-of-county hospital in his hometown instead of one in – or closer to – Bertie County, where he was serving his sentence.
Acree said Alston had received care at this facility before and was going to a follow-up appointment the day of his escape.
Bertie Correctional Institution has a contract with UNC for specialty health care services, according to Acree.
"UNC Hospitals provides for us a wide variety of specialty services, and they happen to do that for us here in Hillsborough," Acree said.
The UNC Hospitals Hillsborough campus was on lockdown for a short period of time on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson. The lockdown was lifted around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday.
Ishee said no one was hurt during Alston's escape.
"The staff that were directly involved [Tuesday] morning, the good news is, thank God, they are OK," Ishee said. "They were not seriously injured and we are thankful for that."
On Tuesday, UNC Health released the following statement: "The safety of our teammates, patients and visitors is the top priority for us. We are grateful for our law enforcement partners’ rapid response."
Durham Technical Community College's Orange County campus was also on lockdown Tuesday. The college canceled classes Tuesday, held them virtually on Wednesday and resumed in person on Thursday.
