EDENTON, N.C.
Authorities in Chowan County are looking for a jail escapee while the sheriffs department investigates how the man got away Saturday afternoon.
Peter Rascoe, a spokesman for the Chowan County Sheriff's Office, identified the escapee as Brandon Maurice Blount, 21, who had been arrested Friday on three counts of vehicle theft.
About 3 p.m., deputies at the county jail found that Blount was missing, Rascoe said, and alerted officials, sparking a search.
In addition to local authorities, officers from several state agencies including the Highway Patrol are assisting in the search for Blount, whose last known address was in the 200 block of Mexico Road in Edenton.
Rascoe could not say with specificity this evening how many people are involved in the search. "But there's a lot of people involved in it," he said, "and we have tracking dogs out as well."
The search had focused on the downtown area initially, but is broadening, Rascoe said. Additionally, investigators are speaking with other people and inmates in an effort to learn where Blount might have gone.
It's unclear if he has any substantial ties in the area. "He had only lived here about eight months," Rascoe said.
The investigation into how he escaped will be handled internally initially, Rascoe said. "The it will be up to the sheriff," Dwayne Goodwin, " to decide if any other agency is brought in."
Blount was being held in lieu of $100,000 bond prior to his escape. If caught, he will face a charge of escape from a local confinement facility, the sheriffs department said.
Rascoe said there is no indication that Blount would be considered armed or dangerous.
Blount is described as being 5 feet 10 inches tall and 180 pounds with brown hair and black eyes.
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