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Rewards Offered For Capture Of Nash Escapees

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NASHVILLE, N.C. — State Department of Correction officials hope reward money will lead them to two inmates who escaped from the Nash Correctional Institute on Friday.

According to investigators, 29-year-old Danny O'Neal Richardson and 26-year-old Demetrius Donnell Harris managed to break out of the Nash County close-custody facility around 6:30 p.m.

A prison spokesperson said the men scaled two fences topped with razor wire and likely suffered severe cuts.

A caller later notified prison staff, saying he had seen someone putting items inside an abandoned vehicle. Authorities searched the vehicle and found a bag of supplies that are believed to have been used by the inmates since their escape, including several pairs of jeans, shirts, bandages, Neosporin, and food items.

Law-enforcement officials across the state have been alerted to be on the lookout for the men.

Richardson, a Native American, is serving a 48-year sentence for convictions of rape, kidnapping and burglary in Nash County.

Harris, a 26-year-old African American, is serving a 17-year sentence for a second degree murder conviction in Durham County. Officials said Harris has cut his dreadlocks and now wears short hair. Authorities believe he may be in the Durham area.

The state is offering reward money up to $5,000 for each inmate, for information that results in capture and conviction.

Anyone having any information regarding the location of these escapees can contact the Department of Correction at

1-877-532-0010

or the State Bureau of Investigation.

Saturday, Nash County deputies charged 22-year-old Tasha Marie Stancil with felony harboring a fugitive. She was released on $5,000 bond. Authorities have not said where Stancil allegedly picked up the men or where she drove them to.

The Nash prison has about 500 inmates. It is a close-custody prison, which is a step below the highest level of security.

Richardson's and Harris' escape was reportedly the first escape from a close-custody prison in several years.

Authorities caught a third inmate who tried to escape with Richardson and Harris, 27-year-old Victor Martin, before he could get over the second fence. Martin was taken to the hospital to be treated for cuts he got while scaling the first fence.

Harris had been in prison since May 2001. He was scheduled to be released in 2015 after receiving a sentence of 18 years and five months for his 2001 murder conviction in Durham County.

Richardson had been in prison since April 1998. He was scheduled for release in 2034 after receiving 48-year sentence for his 1998 rape conviction.

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