Escaped inmate back in custody after 8-hour manhunt in Wake County

An escaped inmate is back in custody Wednesday evening after a search that lasted several hours in Wake County.

Thomas Swann, who escaped from a work detail earlier Wednesday was caught by members of the Prison Emergency Response Team shortly after 7:45 p.m. Swann had been at large for more than seven hours.

The capture occurred after a law enforcement officer spotted Swann walking along U.S. Route 1 south of Apex. Following the sighting, PERT members located Swann hiding beneath plastic sheeting and took him into custody without incident.

Authorities said Swann went missing around noon Wednesday from his job assignment on Schieffelin Road in Apex.

Swann, 44, is a minimum custody offender serving a seven-year sentence at Sanford Correctional Center for habitual breaking and entering.

Swann was described as a white male who stood 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 190 pounds.

He was scheduled for release on March 25, 2027.