Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester law enforcement are now focusing their search for escaped inmate James Sanders in the downtown Charleston area.
Dan Moon, Berkeley County's spokesperson, said officials believe someone picked up the criminal and drove him to the Medical University.
The manhunt began around 3:30 Thursday afternoon after Sanders escaped from the Hill-Finklea Detention Center.
"We are looking for this gentleman, trying to find him and locate him," Moon said. "We have perimeters set up all around the area. We've done reverse 911 calls to all the homes and residents within the area around the jail to notify them we have an escaped inmate."
Deputies also put Berkeley County High School on lock-down as they searched for the man arrested for Criminal Domestic Violence of a High and Aggravated Nature. The person who Sanders assaulted has since been put in protective custody as police continue their search.
While Moon remained optomistic that deputies would find the missing inmate, others in the area feared what could happen with a violent criminal on the loose.
"I'm a little nervous considering everyone at the Court House just watched a guy run away," Moncks Corner resident Brian Heath said. "To think that he's still out there, he could be in my back yard, you know? It does make me a little nervous."
Heath said he's spoken with several area police officers about Thursday's situation. He hopes all the agencies now involved in locating Sanders finds him sooner rather than later.
"I'm just going to go home and pray that they find him," Heath said. "And hopefully he doesn't show up on my doorstep."
Charleston County Sheriff's Office provided a helicopter to continue the search. The search will continue until he is caught. Also, the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office, Moncks Corner Police Department, Berkeley County Sheriff's Office and several K-9 units are assisting the search.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement