After three days on the run, the brazen duo accused of gunning down two Georgia prison guards was caught in Tennessee, less than 300 miles from where it all began.
Ricky Dubose and Donnie Russell Rowe were the subjects of a nationwide search. And a $130,000 reward was offered to find the two.
That search ended Thursday night in Tennessee, where Dubose and Rowe surrendered to a civilian being hailed as a hero amid reports that he held the fugitives at gunpoint until police arrived. (The civilian, Patrick Hale, said in a news conference Friday that he never pulled his gun on the duo.)
RELATED: Georgia fugitives captured in Tennessee
ALSO: Captured inmates waive extradition
So what about that reward money?
An FBI spokesman referred questions to the GBI. GBI Director Vernon Keenan said the man credited with holding the two fugitives would get the portion of the reward from the state of Georgia. Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said that same man should also get the portion of the reward that he controls. The money has been pledged by a variety of law enforcement groups.
The guards, Sgt. Curtis Billue, 58, and Sgt. Christopher Monica, 42, were both shot and killed along Ga. 16 in Putnam County early Monday when two prisoners they were transporting escaped.
Friday afternoon, the GBI released a statement on the money.
“The reward will be dispersed at the appropriate time,”Nelly Miles, GBI spokeswoman, said in an email. “As there were several aspects involved in their apprehension, law enforcement will continue to review them and determine how it will be dispersed.”
-- Staff writer Rhonda Cook contributed to this report.
About the Author
