MCDOWELL COUNTY, N.C. (WSPA) — A man police said walked away from his work detail at Marion Correctional is back in custody.
According to the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office, Billy Lee Smith was arrested in Buncombe County. Law enforcement groups had been searching for Smith since Wednesday morning when he reportedly walked off a job assignment.
The NC Department of Adult Correction reported Smith, 42, was working at Marion Correctional near a maintenance shed. When a worker went to check on Smith at around 11:35 a.m., they found Smith was missing.
Smith was a minimum custody offender serving a 10-year sentence at Rutherford Correctional Center for drug trafficking. Smith’s projected release date was April 27, 2028.
According to the sheriff’s office, following his escape Smith forced his way into a woman’s home in Marion and forced the woman to take him to Asheville. He later released the woman and ran into the woods where he was later arrested.
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