An inmate escaped over the weekend from a jail in North Carolina, fleeing through the building’s ventilation system, authorities said. Law enforcement agencies across the state launched a manhunt once guards at the jail noticed the inmate’s absence Sunday afternoon, according to the Craven County Sheriff’s Office.
The escapee, John Matthew Nigh, was arrested last summer on multiple charges, including three counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting at the deputies who eventually subdued and apprehended him. Nigh’s gunfire did not strike any of the deputies, who initially transported him to a medical facility for treatment of injuries the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office described as “minor.”
Nigh was then booked into the Onslow County Detention Center and held on a $5 million bond. Booking records show He was transferred in December to the Craven County Detention Center, about 50 miles away.
Officers at the jail in Craven County realized Nigh was missing from his cell at 4 p.m. ET Sunday, the sheriff’s office said. Their subsequent search determined he had apparently escaped through the ventilation system in the ceiling, exiting through the roof of the complex. Nigh’s cellmates are accused of assisting in the getaway scheme, by helping him remove the ceiling grating through which he entered the ventilation network and then stuffing Nigh’s mattress to appear as though he was still in the cell asleep.
A statewide BOLO was issued to North Carolina law enforcement as the Craven County Investigations Bureau and Special Investigations Bureau Deputies initiated a probe and began to search for the missing inmate, the Craven County sheriff announced just after 11 a.m. Monday morning.
Craven County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
“Nigh has been armed in past encounters with Law Enforcement Officers and should be considered dangerous,” the sheriff’s office said. “Anyone having information about his whereabouts should call the Craven County Sheriff’s Office at 252 633 2357, their local law enforcement agency or 911.”
Nigh is a white man and 6 feet 2 inches tall, according to authorities’ description. He has his initials, “JMN,” tattooed on his upper left arm and a cross tattooed on his upper right arm.
CBS News contacted the Craven County Sheriff’s Office for more information about the manhunt Wednesday but did not receive an immediate reply.