Georgia Governor Thankful For Escaped Prison Inmates Capture In Tennessee After Chase

Two prison inmates who escaped from a Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) prisoner transport vehicle earlier this week after one of them shot and killed two corrections officers, were captured Thursday in Tennessee after a prolonged high-speed vehicle chase, officials said.

The Georgia governor’s office issued a press release after their arrest and Governor Nathan Deal expressed his gratitude towards the officials who helped capture the fugitive.

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“Earlier tonight, with the assistance of our law enforcement partners in Tennessee, dangerous fugitives were captured and taken into custody,” Deal said in the press release.

“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,” he added.

The news was also confirmed on Twitter by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Gov. Deal also tweeted that the fugitives were in custody.

According to the FBI, Ricky Dubose, 24, and Donnie Rowe, 43, who were on the run since Tuesday, were spotted in Shelbyville, Tennessee on Thursday morning. The sheriff’s office in Rutherford County in Tennessee said that they heard of a vehicle wanted in a case of carjacking in Shelbyville. Other units were informed and officials chased the vehicle on Interstate 24. According to officials, the fugitives, suspected to be armed, tied up an elderly couple in Shelbyville and stole their vehicle.

The convicts were taken into custody in Christiana, Tennessee, according to Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Nelly Miles. No injuries were reported during the chase.

Putnam County, Georgia, Sheriff Howard Sills said Thursday the public was in “grave danger” and that the authorities had no knowledge regarding the inmates’ location. A massive manhunt was underway since Tuesday and the FBI had even asked the public to cooperate. “We need the eyes and ears of everybody really in this country to be on the lookout for these two individuals,” Sills said Thursday. “We are looking for them anywhere they might be on the planet Earth.”

Sills had described the fugitives earlier as “dangerous beyond description.” The inmates were being transported in a prisoner transport bus Tuesday morning when they allegedly shot two corrections officers on board, stole their firearms and carjacked a green Honda Civic to escape. Rowe and Dubose were accused and convicted of aggravated assault and armed robbery. Rowe was sentenced to life without parole.

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Sills described the scene when the fugitives killed the officers and escaped. “I saw two brutally murdered corrections officers, that's what I saw,” he said. “I have their blood on my shoes.”

On Thursday, police engaged in a chase game with the inmates on Interstate 24. When police tried to arrest the inmates, they fled their vehicle and led the officers on a foot chase until they were finally captured.

Corrections officers Sgt. Christopher Monica and Sgt. Curtis Billue were killed by the inmates. In a statement, Sills said the incident is being investigated and wondered how the inmates overpowered the police officers and killed them. “They were inside the caged area of the bus. How they got through the locks and things up to that area I do not know," he said.