Search Continues For Escaped Inmate Ramone Alston In Hillsborough

HILLSBOROUGH, NC – Ramone Jamarr Alston escaped from a Department of Adult Correction vehicle at approximately 7:00 a.m. Tuesday morning as the transport vehicle he was riding in arrived at UNC Hillsborough Hospital for a medical appointment. State correctional and local law enforcement officers are conducting a massive ground search for him in a one-to-two-mile radius around the hospital facility.

Ramone Alston, 30, serving a life sentence for a first-degree murder conviction in Orange County, is a Black male with family and friends in the area.

Alston escaped from custody when the transport vehicle arrived at UNC Gastroenterology on Waterstone Drive, off N.C. 86. He had freed himself from leg restraints and, still in handcuffs, jumped out and ran into adjacent woods.

Residents and people in businesses within that area are likely to see a heavy law enforcement presence as officers from multiple agencies do a thorough ground search, checking outbuildings, ravines, unlocked vehicles, and any area that might provide an area of concealment for Alston.

According to Emergency Services Director Kirby Saunders, “While the number one objective is to locate where Alston is, it is also imperative that we determine where he is not. Efforts will continue until Alston is in custody.”

People in the area described are encouraged to keep doors, vehicles, and windows locked and to call 911 to report any suspicious activities.

Alston is serving a life sentence in Bertie Correctional for the Christmas Day murder of 1-year-old Maleah Williams in 2015.

Photos: Courtesy of Orange County Sheriff’s Office