Here's how authorities say Thursday's escape unfolded:
The two inmates walked away from a work detail outside the fence of thestate prison in Harnett County. Tthe two escapees went to radio stationWLLN-AM inLillington, which is owned by Foundations Bible College. There, they tiedup the Rev.Anthony Brock.Police said Brock was playing records when two men wearing prison uniformswalked into the station. Theyripped the phones out of the wall and forced Brock to lie on his stomach,said Mark Wilson, the station's chiefengineer.
Wilson said Brock told him that the men threatened to kill him but decidedto spare his life when they saw picturesof his children. Instead, they broke his arm with a crowbar, Wilson said.
Brock was listed in stable condition Friday at Betsy Johnson MemorialHospital inDunn.
The radio station was off the air for about four hours while police combedthe building for clues. Brock's car wasrecovered on a Fayetteville street. Fayetteville police searched aneighborhood near downtown for several hours,but could not locate the inmates.
The inmates were then picked up by an unidentified guard at the Harnettprison who was on her way to work and recognized the two men. When theyrealized that she planned on returning them to the prison, they forced herto pull over and ran into some woods near Ramsey Street. The guard was notinjured.
Pinchbeckwas serving a 10-year sentence for assault with a deadly weaponinflicting serious injury and breakingand entering. His scheduled release date was March 1999.
Bass, 27, was serving a 14-year sentence for breaking and enteringcharges. He was jailed in April 1991 and wasscheduled for release in July 1998.
Brock's car was recovered near LongHill Elementary School in Fayetteville.
Their getaway car may have failed them. The front tire was shredded topieces, possibly from a blowout.
After the car was found near Long Hill Elementary, the school waslocked down, and staff kept a watchful eye on the grounds.
Drivers were told to check their buses, making sure there would be nosurprises once the children boarded. Students were dismissed one class ata time, another precaution to make sure they got home safely.
Authorities say the escapees appear to be headed south, perhapstoward Lumberton and Hope Mills, where the inmates have some relatives.
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
