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Photo courtesy of the Georgia Department of Corrections.
Inmate Back in Custody
BARNESVILLE - An inmate from the Georgia Department of Corrections' Al Burruss Correctional Training Center in Monroe County walked off of an inmate work detail in Barnesville on Wednesday afternoon around 3 p.m. According to the Lamar County Sheriff's Office, Eric Kenneth Coe, age 19, had been sentenced to a work boot camp for violating his probation on theft charges.
According to its website, the Al Burruss Correctional Training Center is a State Prison facility that provides work and rehabilitation programs for 650 General Population offenders with a 100 bed Probation Boot Camp at the facility. It provides offender labor for maintenance and operation of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC), support for the Tift Campus including Mobile Construction Services, and has a housing capacity for 94 offenders sentenced as adults between 14 -16 years of age and At Risk Youth Offenders between 17 -21 years of age. It is also a host facility for the West Central Integrated Treatment Facility.
The Lamar County Sheriff's Office advised that Coe is 6 foot tall and 170 pounds. He walked away from a detail job near Greenwood cemetery and was last seen in a white shirt and white pants with a stripe state prison uniform.
WKEU advised that a search was conducted yesterday in the area of McCollum and Perdue Roads. A Georgia State Patrol helicopter was called in to help with the search yesterday evening in the area around the wetlands trail. The work vest and cap worn by the escapee were found and Department of Corrections' bloodhounds were on the scene late into the night searching for Coe, but as of today at 3 p.m. He has not been found.
Increased law enforcement presence was noticable last night in Lamar County with the Barnesville Police Department, Lamar County Sheriff's Office, Georgia State Patrol officers, and Georgia Department of Natural Resources officers all providing assistance to the Georgia Department of Corrections in the search for this inmate. The search was expanded to the vicinity of Memorial Drive late last night when a citizen reported seeing a white male dressed in white cross the road in this area.
Sheriff Brad White and Barnesville Police Chief Chuck Keadle have both suggested that residents keep their doors locked on homes and vehicles and to report any suspicious activity to 911. Sheriff White advised that Coe was incarcerated for violating his probation on theft charges and that he is not thought to be violent but that all suspicious activity should be called into 911.
The Georgia Department of Corrections advised that there is a statewide lookout for Coe and asked that anyone who sees this suspect should not approach him but call 911 instead.
Update 8.14.15 from the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office (Cumming, Georgia)
Eric J. Coe, 20, walked off of a work release detail while in prison in Monroe County on August 12, 2015. Coe was believed to have stolen a vehicle in Lamar County which was located in Forsyth County on Settingdown Road last night, 08/13/2015.
Our Uniform Patrol deputies also responded to a report of another stolen vehicle on Settingdown Road last night. The vehicle is described as a Black Ford Ranger XLT extended Cab, bearing tag number PHG3977. The Ford ranger pick-up truck has front end damage to the hood, grill and front bumper, along with a dented rear passenger corner panel.
Forsyth County deputies have increased patrols in the county and teams are making contact with all known associates of Coe. Anyone found to be aiding Coe or assisting in harboring this fugitive will be dealt with accordingly and charged to the full extent of the law.
Coe’s arrest history includes theft by taking and burglary. He was about half way through serving a 120 day boot camp program in Monroe County.
If you see the suspect or vehicle, please call 9-1-1 or Crime Stoppers at (404) 577-TIPS (8477). Information leading to the capture and arrest of Coe may result in a cash reward.
Update 8.18.15 from the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office (Cumming, Georgia):
According to the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office in Cumming, Georgia, Eric Coe was arrested in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina in the vehicle that was stolen from Forsyth County after Coe fled a work detail in Barnesville, Georgia.