The escaped inmates accused of killing two correctional officers have been captured, Gov. Deal confirmed.
SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. — The search for the “dangerous beyond belief” escaped inmates accused of killing two correctional officers is over, authorities confirmed.
Donnie Rowe, 43, and Ricky DuBose, 24, were captured in Murfreesboro, Tenn. after a chase, authorities confirmed. Rowe and Dubose have been on the run since Tuesday, when they allegedly overpowered two correctional officers on a transport bus in Putnam County before making their escape. Christopher Monica and Curtis Billue were killed in the process.
CAPTURED: Fugitives in custody following car chase in TN. More info will be forthcoming.
Dubose and Rowe have been captured.
On Thursday evening, WSMV reported Shelbyville Police said Rowe and DuBose tied up a couple inside their home and stole their black Jeep and guns. The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office told WSMV law enforcement stopped the car on Interstate 24 near the Epps Mill Road exit. That’s when the inmates crashed and ran away on foot before they were captured.
Gov. Deal hailed the capture of the fugitives in a statement, promising “justice will be served.”
“With the assistance of our law enforcement partners in Tennessee, dangerous fugitives were captured and taken into custody, ” Deal said. “Rest assured, justice will be served. My sincere thanks to our local, state and federal law enforcement officers who assisted in the manhunt. Because of their tireless efforts, the public is safe. The pain endured by the families and loved ones of Sergeant Christopher Monica and Sergeant Curtis Billue endures, however. We will do everything in our power to support their loved ones, and we will not forget their sacrifice and service.”
A state-wide search for Rowe and DuBose had been underway since they made their escape from Eatonton, Ga. on Tuesday. Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said he doesn’t know how the inmates were able to overpower the officers and kill them.
Sills said the inmates broke into a home on Cox Road in Morgan County right after their escape and ransacked it before stealing some food and clothes.
Law enforcement from the U. S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation had been tracking them since, and authorities had been offering a $130,00 reward for their capture. A BOLO had been issued for a white Ford pick-up truck that the inmates had reportedly been traveling in.
Investigators had gotten numerous tips on the inmates’ location since, including a possible sighting just across the border in Jasper County, South Carolina on Thursday. Police were finally able to catch up with them in Tennessee and took them into custody.
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