news-record.com

LENOIR (MCT) -- An inmate that escaped from a highway litter crew Friday morning was back in custody just a little over 24 hours after he fled.

Joseph Courtner, 32, was working with an eight-man crew on N.C. 18 outside Lenoir, picking up trash along the road when he ran through woods and escaped at 11:30 a.m. Friday.

By 1 p.m. on Saturday, the N.C. Department of Correction and a K9 unit had Courtner back in custody after receiving a tip about him, said Chad Towery, superintendent of the Caldwell Correctional Center where Courtner was incarcerated.

Courtner was found on Abington Road, about three miles away from where he escaped. He was wearing black shorts and a T-shirt, which are prison-issue, Towery said. However, he had other clothes with him.

"We think he got them from a nearby mobile home park, but that they didn't know they were helping (an escaped prisoner)," Towery said.

He said Courtner did receive some help from others, telling people that he was running from law enforcement, but not that he was an escaped inmate. That help came in the form of food and the use of a telephone.

"He knew a lot of folks and was very familiar with the area, but no one was home," Towery said.

He added he was confident that once they knew Towery was seeking help, they weren't willing to aid him.

Up to 28 people searched for Courtner while he was on the run, with the Hudson, Granite Falls and Lenoir police departments aiding the DOC, as well as the Burke and Caldwell County sheriffs' offices. Three bloodhound teams also helped with the search.

Towery said Courtner did not commit any crimes while he was on the run.

Courtner, a minimum-security inmate, was serving a 10-month sentence for a driving while license revoked conviction from July 7, 2010. He had been at the Caldwell Correctional Center since October, and was due to be released on May 9, 2011.

He is now facing the additional charge of escape from a correctional facility. Towery didn't want to speculate on how much time that charge could carry if Courtner was convicted. He did say, though, that Courtner is now in segregation at Caldwell Correctional Center.

Towery said that, given the relatively short duration of Courtner's sentence, he was somewhat surprised Courtner escaped.

"Recently, though, he didn't hear from his estranged girlfriend/wife," Towery said. "During our interview, he indicated that after he left, he was regretful. Hindsight is always 20/20. He knows he made a serious mistake. I think he just lost his composure because he hadn't heard from his girlfriend/wife."