Following a lengthy manhunt, authorities in Tennessee have taken an inmate back into custody after he broke out of prison earlier this week.
Curtis Ray Watson, 44, was last spotted Wednesday while on mowing duty near the home of prison official Debra Johnson on West Tennessee State Penitentiary grounds. Johnson’s body was later discovered in the house and Watson was nowhere to be found.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations confirmed Sunday that Watson was arrested at 11 a.m. in the same town the prison is located. TBI shared a video and photo of Watson, who is serving a 15-year sentence for aggravated kidnapping, right after he was captured. In the video, a helicopter is heard hovering overhead as throngs of law enforcement surround the car he was placed in.
NEW: Here’s a bit of video right after Curtis Watson was taken into custody! pic.twitter.com/QVpLspJbek
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) August 11, 2019
Watson had changed his clothes and was wearing what appeared to be camouflage bib overalls and a hat. He had not shaved his distinctive beard.
TBI said it had received hundreds of tips after the manhunt began. In addition to offering a reward of more than $50,000, authorities added him to the most wanted list and issued a statewide alert.
