Georgia police hunt escaped inmates after two guards killed | Reuters

By Gina Cherelus Police in Georgia were searching on Tuesday for two armed inmates who escaped from a prison transport after overpowering and disarming their guards, both of whom were shot dead, authorities said.The guards were transporting prisoners at 5:45 a.m. EDT (945 GMT) in Putnam County, about 70 miles (110 km) southeast of Atlanta, when inmates Donnie Rowe, 43, and Ricky Dubose, 24, disarmed them, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.One of the inmates shot and killed both officers, police said, adding that Rowe and Dubose are believed to be armed with the officers’ .40 caliber Glock pistols.After killing the guards, the inmates approached a dark green Honda Civic that was stopped nearby and demanded the driver give them the car, Putnam County Sheriff spokeswoman Teresa Slade said. “This guy happened to be driving up at the wrong time,” Slade said of the motorist, adding that he was not injured during the carjacking.The Georgia Department of Corrections said both slain officers worked at Baldwin State Prison in Hardwick, Georgia. It named them as Curtis Billue, who joined the department in 2007, and Christopher Monica, who was hired in 2009. Rowe had been in Baldwin State Prison since June 2002 serving a life sentence without parole for armed robbery and other offenses. Dubose had been in prison since July 2015 for crimes including armed robbery and was not due for release until 2034, according to the corrections department. Four Oklahoma inmates, including a suspected murderer, escaped from the state’s Lincoln County Jail on Monday - the second recent escape for two of the four from the jail, about 45 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.Also on Monday, a decorated, 15-year veteran Arkansas police officer was shot while assisting another officer in a traffic stop in a town about 90 miles (140 km) northeast of Little Rock. He later died in a hospital.Arkansas state police said on Tuesday a suspect was in custody. Police did not release the suspect’s name, but said more details would be forthcoming shortly. (Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York, additional reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; editing by Colleen Jenkins and G Crosse)

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