RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — One of the four inmates who escaped a Hopewell minimum security prison turned himself in to authorities in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Tavares Lajuane Graham reportedly turned himself in after being wanted for over 24 hours. According to authorities, Graham surrendered at around 5 a.m. on Sunday, June 19.
The other inmates who escaped Federal Correctional Institution Petersburg’s minimum-security satellite camp — Corey Branch, Lamonte Willis and Kareem Shaw — are still at large.
Supervisory Inspector Kevin Connolly reported to 8News that the U.S. Marshals Office has been working closely with local law enforcement fugitive investigative teams.
“I don’t believe the community is at risk,” Connolly said.
Connolly also told 8News that it is believed the escapees left the facility sometime after 9:30 p.m. This was when the last impromptu head count was taken before the inmates were discovered missing at 1:45 a.m.
The Bureau of Prisons website says its satellite camps around the country, which are often adjacent to or adjoining to the prison’s main building, provide inmate labor to the main institution and to off-site work programs.
Connolly also said that all four inmates will be charged with escaping from a federal prison, which could lead to an additional five years on their sentences.
Three fugitives are still yet to be located. Their descriptions are below:
Corey Branch, 41, was sentenced in the Eastern District of Virginia to a 160-month sentence for possession of Fentanyl with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Branch is a Black man with black hair and brown eyes. He is 5-foot 8-inches tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds.
Lamonte Rashawn Willis was sentenced in the Eastern District of Virginia to a 216-month sentence for possessing and concealing a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Willis is a 30-year-old Black man with brown eyes. He is 6-foot 2-inches tall and weighs approximately 165 pounds.
Kareem Allen Shaw was sentenced in the Western District of Virginia to a 194-month sentence for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a measurable quantity of heroin.
Shaw is a 46-year-old Black man with black hair and brown eyes. He is 5-foot 8-inches tall and weighs around 167 pounds.
Of note, Graham has been moved to FCI Petersburg Medium. The inmates escaped from the minimum security satellite camp which is adjacent to FCI Petersburg Low.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the escaped inmates is encouraged to submit a tip at the U.S. Marshals website or the USMS Tips app for mobile phones. Those who submit can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
