SANFORD — State prison officials are looking for an escaped murder convict who had less than two years to go on his sentence.
According to the N.C. Department of Public Safety, 50-year-old Reginald L. Jones walked away from his work release job in Sanford on Wednesday.
He was discovered missing from the job site at 5 p.m., according to DPS.
Jones, who was being held in minimum security at Sanford Correctional Center in Lee County, is a 6-foot-tall black male of medium build weighing around 260 pounds and has tattoos on both shoulders.
Prison emergency response teams and local law enforcement agencies are currently engaged in a search.
Sanford is about an hour north of Rockingham on U.S. 1.
DPS records show Jones was convicted in 2013 of second-degree murder in Iredell County. He was sentenced to 20 years but expected to be released in October 2024.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is encouraged to call 911 or the prison at 919-776-4325.
UPDATE: DPS announced late Wednesday night that Jones spotted by correctional staff walking along N.C. 42 in Sanford and was taken into custody without incident.
Updated 2:08 p.m. 10-20-22
