Georgia Department of Corrections(HARDWICK, Ga.) — A nationwide manhunt is intensifying for two escaped Georgia inmates who have been armed and on the run since Tuesday, when one of them shot and killed two Georgia State Correctional Officers, officials said.
Putnam County, Georgia, Sheriff Howard Sills on Thursday said the public is in “grave danger” and that authorities do not know where the dangerous inmates are. The FBI is asking for the public’s help, calling the search expanding.
Sills said a reward has climbed to $130,000 for information that leads to their arrests, and officials warned that anyone helping the inmates will be prosecuted.
On Tuesday morning, inmates Donnie Russell Rowe and Ricky Dubose, who were cellmates at Baldwin State Prison, overpowered two correctional officers who were driving a transport bus along Georgia State Route 16 between Eatonton and Sparta in Putnam County, about 80 miles southeast of Atlanta, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
The prisoners breached a protective gate on the bus to reach the officers at the front of the bus, before disarming and killing them both, the sheriff’s office said. It is unclear at this time whether specifically Rowe or Dubose shot and killed the two correctional officers.
Rowe and Dubose, armed with the officers’ weapons, allegedly carjacked a Honda Civic from a resident who was driving by, and then fled west toward Eatonton, the sheriff’s office said.
Police believe the suspects have since stolen a second car, a 2008 Ford F150 that had the keys still in it, in Morgan County, Georgia, about nine miles from the home where they were believed to have broken into to change clothes, authorities said Wednesday.
The two men were cellmates and friends in prison, and may have planned their escape; however, the bus ride Tuesday morning was unscheduled, officials said.
At the time of the shooting, 31 other inmates were on board the bus, which was en route to a diagnostic facility when the escape took place. Those inmates have provided assistance to investigators, officials said.
Rowe is serving life without parole for armed robbery, the department of corrections said, and Dubose is serving a 20-year sentence for armed robbery.
The slain Baldwin State Prison officers were Christopher Monica, 42, who was hired in 2009, and Curtis Billue, 58, who was hired in 2007, Georgia Corrections said.
“Both officers were known for their unwavering commitment to their job and their love of family,” the Georgia Department of Corrections said in a statement.
Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Gregory Dozier said, “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of two of our officers, who are our family, and our priority is to locate these fugitives and bring them to justice for this heinous act against those working to protect the public.”
Dubose, of Madison County, Georgia, is described as a white man with blue eyes and brown hair, standing at 6 feet 1 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds.
Rowe, of middle Tennessee, is described as a white man with blue eyes and brown hair, standing at 6 feet 1 inches tall and weighing 181 pounds.
The stolen truck is described as a white 2008 Ford F-250 with Georgia license plate BCX5372.
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