An inmate who escaped from the New Hanover County Correctional Center early Wednesday morning is still on the loose.
As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, 34-year-old Stephen Singleton had not been located. But authorities believe he is still in the Wilmington area, according to N.C. Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) Spokesman Keith Acree.
Singleton was discovered missing from his dorm during a routine headcount at the minimum security prison at 5 a.m., Acree said. Prison guards found Singleton’s shirt lying over the razor wire of the fence near his dorm.
Singleton had been at the dorm an hour before, during the 4 a.m. count, Acree said, adding that the NCDPS is doing a standard protocol check at the prison to see if staff followed procedure and if security improvements can be made.
Singleton, of Wilmington, was serving sentences for habitual misdemeanor assault and larceny. According to the N.C. Department of Corrections, he was convicted in December 2015 and was due for release in January 2018.
There are currently 392 inmates housed in the New Hanover County Correctional Facility. Members of the NCDPS, Wilmington Police Department, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshal’s Service are searching for Singleton.
Anyone with information about Singleton or his whereabouts is asked to call local law enforcement or New Hanover Correctional Center at 910-251-2666.
Earlier: State and local authorities are searching for an inmate who escaped from the New Hanover Correctional Center early Wednesday morning.
Stephen Singleton, 34, was discovered missing at 5 a.m. Wednesday and is believed to have scaled a fence to leave the correctional center at 330 Division Drive in Wilmington, according to a notice from the N.C. Department of Public Safety.
Singleton, of Wilmington, was serving sentences for habitual misdemeanor assault and larceny. According to the N.C. Department of Corrections, he was convicted in December 2015 and was due for release in January 2018.
Anyone with information about Singleton or his whereabouts is asked to call local law enforcement or New Hanover Correctional Center at 910-251-2666.
