Hayesville – An Andrews man trying to visit his terminally ill mother escaped from a jail work crew on April 16 and now faces a new charge, this one a felony.
Thomas Daniel Ware, 49, of Fairview Road, was back in custody at the Clay County Detention Center on April 17, following the escape attempt the day before.
Ware was a work crew inmate at the Clay County Detention Center who ran away while mowing a roadside on April 16. He was recaptured while walking on Downings Creek Road and taken into custody without incident around 2:30 p.m. Friday.
Ware indicated he had primarily been hiding in a remote wooded area since his escape the afternoon before.
Ware was a trusty at the Clay County Detention Center and allowed to work with the inmate work crew program. He was being held pending trial for crimes not related to the threat or injury of another person, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
In the early afternoon hours of April 16, Ware and another inmate were mowing grass near the Clay County Transfer Station on Hinton Center Road. While just out of sight around a slight bend in the shoulder of the roadway he was mowing, Ware parked the mower and left on foot.
Within 2-3 minutes, the supervising detention officer discovered him missing.
Ware was not armed when he fled. He was last seen wearing an orange shirt that says work crew and red striped pants.
An intensive search of the area was conducted throughout the afternoon by officers on foot, involving vehicles and utilizing aerial drones.
The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, Towns County Sheriff's Office, State Bureau of Investigations, Macon County Sheriff’s Office, Clay County 911 Dispatch, N.C. Wildlife Agency and Tennessee Valley Authority police assisted in the search.
Following Ware’s capture, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office announced on its social media that there was more to the story – that Ware was trying to see his mother one last time.
“Concerning our escaped then captured work crew inmate, Thomas Daniel Ware, we will always try to make arrangements for our inmates to see loved ones who are terminally ill. When Ware was captured, he was told we would have made those accommodations if he had only informed us that his mother was terminally ill,” the sheriff’s office posted.
“Of course, after verifying the condition of Ware's mother and making appropriate security arrangements, we will make this happen regardless of his escape. We have also in the past even taken inmates to funerals of loved ones.
“To be completely transparent, taking an inmate out of state can be time consuming and extremely difficult due to extradition related issues that require extensive coordination with the court systems within N.C. and the other state(s) involved. Regardless, we will always do everything within our power to make these visits and funeral attendances happen.”
The sheriff’s office also addressed concerns about security of inmate work crews.
“We want to thank the public for their vigilance in watching out for Ware's whereabouts over the past 24 hours,” the sheriff’s office posted. “Please know, that while implementing the Inmate Work Crew Program, the Clay County Sheriff's Office will never allow an inmate to participate in this program that might pose a risk to the public while working or in the most unlikely event they abscond.”
Ware still faces a felony charge of prison breach and escape. Bond for that offense was set at $10,000.