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SC Inmate Escapee Captured In Winston-Salem At Gas Station

Agents surrounded a Ford Explorer at a Shell station parking lot on South Broad Street before arresting the prison escapee.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WFMY) -- A South Carolina inmate escapee was captured in Winston-Salem.

Tyshon Johnson, 25, was arrested Tuesday by the US Marshals Service Task Force. Agents surrounded a Ford Explorer at a Shell station parking lot on South Broad Street. According to investigators, the Ford Explorer was reported stolen. They also found a rifle from behind the driver’s seat.

Related: Dangerous Inmates Still on the Loose After Overpowering Officer to Escape: SC Sheriff

Johnson, along with Curtis Green, 20, and Christopher Boltin, 27, are accused of breaking out of the jail Saturday night. Boltin was arrested Sunday in Lexington County. Deputies say Green, a murder suspect is still at large.

Officers have also arrested Boltin’s father, 51-year-old Hoyte Boltin, who they say helped his son after he left the prison. Tyree Hillard, a resident outside the detention center, is also accused of assisting Green and Johnson in connection to the escape.

Related: One of Three Dangerous Inmates on the Run Captured in Lexington County, Sheriff Says

A fourth inmate was part of the jailbreak, but was captured before making it past the fence. Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young says on the night of the escape, there was an electrical short which compromised the jail's security. He says the prisoners were able to exploit the weakness and get out.

A jail officer tried to stop the escapees but was overpowered. The suspect then used mace on the guard and ran out of the building. Young says the group then used blankets to climb over the barbed-wire fence.

Related: Orangeburg Co. Deputies Respond to Attempted Jail Escape

"They had access to their bedding and stuff, so they snatched sheets and stuff out of their pod to throw across the wire to help get across the wire," Young said. "With all of the construction, they ducked through one area and hit the wood line and probably got to the railroad tracks and probably just ran from there."

Related: Escaped Inmate Had Dead Giveaway: His Prison Jumpsuit

The jail is nearly 42 years old, and Young says a new jail that's currently under construction likely would have prevented the escape.

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