Greene County inmate Eric Washington was captured shortly after 1:00 p.m. Monday, Aug. 22, in Boligee. Washington, who escaped Tuesday, Aug. 16 from the Greene County jail, and was armed, was taken into custody without incident. Authorities say they were acting on a tip when they found Washington in a railroad car in Boligee on Monday afternoon.
Lt. Jeremy Rancher, of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, said after getting the tip, Greene County officials called the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC), who sent tracking dogs from Bibb County to the area. Those tracking dogs and officers searching from helicopters spotted Washington.
Officials say Washington was armed with a hand gun but was captured without incident. Greene County Sheriff Joe Benison thanked multiple West Alabama and state law enforcement agencies for their help. Benison noted that capturing Washington was a collective effort with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, as well as ALEA’s Aviation Unit, the U.S. Marshals, the 17th Judicial Task Force, the Department of Corrections K-9 tracking team and local law enforcement agencies from neighboring jurisdictions.
According to court records, Washington was charged in a shooting that injured a Greene County deputy last year. The deputy involved was injured by glass when Washington shot at his vehicle.
Benison confirmed that Washington was sentenced just last week in that case to 30 years in state prison. He added that Washington was days away from being transferred to a state prison. Authorities have not commented yet on any new charges Washington may face.