MCDOWELL COUNTY, N.C. (FOX Carolina) – A man has been sentenced to a maximum of around 43 years in prison.
According to the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office, on Feb. 12, 44-year-old Billy Lee Smith was found guilty in a jury trial on the following charges:
- Felony second-degree kidnapping (habitual felon status)
- Felony breaking and entering (habitual felon status)
- Felony escape from state prison (habitual felon status)
He was sentenced to serve a minimum of 33 1/2 years to a maximum of about 43 years in prison.
According to the sheriff’s office, Smith was walking away from a worksite at Marion Correctional Institution while on a work release from Rutherford Correctional Facility, where he was serving time as a low-level offender…