Two escaped Tennessee inmates kidnapped a Kentucky highway department employee and stole at least two vehicles. Authorities found the pair in Florida.
What We Know:
- A tweet from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation advised that inmates Robert Brown and Christopher Osteen escaped Friday morning from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Lake County, Tennessee. The prison is considered a low-security prison. Additional tweets noted their hair, eye color, and height and asked audiences to call 911 if seen.
- Brown is 36 and is serving an 18-year sentenced for aggravated rape. Osteen is 34 and is serving an 8-year sentence for burglary. The police believed both inmates were considered armed and dangerous.
- The inmates escaped Friday and kidnapped a Fulton County Kentucky highway department employee around 9:15 A.M. Police found the employee blindfolded with his department truck in Henry County.
- Around 2:30 A.M. on Saturday, authorities found a Henry County resident tied up in their home. The inmates had tied them up the previous day around 10:30 A.M. and stole the resident’s red 2009 Chevrolet Silverado truck. The resident has been confirmed safe.
- Sunday morning, police were alerted of a vehicle with the inmates inside Broward County, Florida, a thousand miles away from the prison. After several hours of searching, authorities found the two. They attempted to flee on foot but were each apprehended. According to the New York Times, “the Broward County Sheriff’s Department, S.W.A.T., the U.S. Marshals, and other local agencies were involved in the arrests.”
The pair will be returned into custody and investigated to determine if additional persons were involved in their escape.
