2 escaped SWVA inmates captured after stolen car found in East Tenn.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Authorities found two escaped inmates in East Tennessee after finding the stolen vehicle they were driving, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Two inmates at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority in Abingdon, Virginia reportedly escaped from the recreational yard at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26. Officials identified the inmates as Johnny Shane Brown, age 51 of Rogersville, Tennessee, and Albert Lee Ricketson, age 31 of Abingdon, Virginia.

On Friday morning, the 2008 Cadillac SUV stolen by Brown and Ricketson was found in Hawkins County, Tennessee, on Route 66 near Bulls Gap, according to a release. However, the inmates are still on the run.

“The two escapees were observed and identified earlier before the vehicle was discovered by law enforcement, but have not been located,” officials said. “Deputies with the Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office are currently working with Hawkins County, Tennessee, law enforcement with the processing of the vehicle.”

The inmates were captured in Hawkins County about four miles from where the stolen car was found on Friday morning.

A release said that the two were found upstairs in a barn on Cupp Hollow Road in Rogersville.

According to a release, Brown is a federal inmate and Ricketson was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder. They were both considered “armed and dangerous,” officials said.

Both were arrested without issue, a sheriff said.

The United States Marshals Service offered a $5,000 reward for each individual for information leading to apprehension.

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