Search for escaped inmates wanted on drug, gun charges stretches into 3rd day

The Henderson community is on high alert as the search for two missing Vance County inmates stretches into a third day.

On Wednesday afternoon, Michael Miles and LiShawn Knott made the break from Vance County Detention Center, where they were being held on multiple drug trafficking and gun charges.

"Lock your vehicles, close your garage doors and lock up your sheds," the sheriff's office warned.

The men may be dangerous, and deputies discouraged anyone who may see Miles or Knott from approaching them. Instead, anyone with information is asked to call the Vance County Sheriff’s Office at (252) 738-2200 or Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers at (252) 492-1925.  

On Thursday, the FBI joined the search, sponsoring digital billboards with photos of the two and advertising a reward worth up to $40,000.

Video from inside the jail showed 33-year-old Miles and 21-year-old Knott were sprinting down a hall ahead of their escape.

Investigators say the first two days after an escape are often the most crucial.

According to the U.S. Marshals, the chances of locating an escapee close to the jail decrease significantly as time passes and the possibility grows that they have traveled out of the area.

Now, investigators are focused on answering one question: Where did they go next?

The Vance County Sheriff's Office, FBI, SBI and Henderson Police Department are all involved in the search, combing through surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses, family members and known associates in an effort to track the men down.

As the manhunt intensifies, residents near the jail remain alert.

For some, the escape did not come as a shock.

“It’s just something I’ve lived with for so long, so I’m not worried about it,” Tracey Dalton told WRAL News. “I know not to open my door.”

Dalton said she hopes she never comes face-to-face with either escapee. But if she does, she says she's ready to defend herself and her family.

“Protect yourself,” she continued. “Get whatever you have to get to protect yourself. If they try to come in, get them out the best way you can.”

Inspection records obtained by WRAL Investigates note broken or missing locks, defective doors, insufficient supervision rounds and holes in walls at the Vance County Jail.

Sheriff Curtis Brame has pushed county commissioners to invest in a new facility for years.  

According to preliminary design documents shared with commissioners, a new 300-bed detention center will cost the county more than $70 million. Previous estimates were around $55 million.

“If we do that …we have no choice …that's another eight-cent [property] tax increase in order to meet the needs,” Vance County Commissioner Leo Kelly Jr. said during Monday night’s meeting.

Vance County leaders have not selected a new site yet.

The county is working to secure a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pay for the project.

In addition to its structural concerns, a Vance County jail supervisor was accused of raping an inmate in April. During a January county commissioners meeting, Brame said the detention center was “scrambling” and “hurting" and that he worried for officer and inmate safety.