MCDOWELL, N.C. — An inmate escaped from prison and kidnapped a woman, forcing her to take him to Asheville before he was arrested, McDowell County Sheriff’s Office announced.
On Thursday, Billy Lee Smith walked away from a worksite at Marion Correctional Institution, where he was deemed a low-level offender.
After he escaped, he forced his way into a woman’s home in Marion, abducted her, and forced her to take him to Asheville, according to deputies.
He eventually let her go and fled into a wooded area in Asheville. He was arrested shortly after.
Multiple agencies assisted the Sheriff’s Office, including the NC State Highway Patrol and State Bureau of Investigation.
Smith was sent to MCI from Rutherford Correctional Facility as a work-release inmate.
(WATCH: Clover police looking for missing teen girl thought to be with armed man)
©2024 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
