Police

Escaped prisoner captured in Riverhead motel

MUG SHOT | Jerry Darrin Ross

A fugitive who had escaped from a Georgia prison-work detail was captured at a Riverhead motel Wednesday, Riverhead Town police said.

Jerry Darrin Ross, 38, had escaped from authorities in Thomas County, Georgia on Sept. 25 during a work detail, the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office said. He was serving time in prison for burglary at the time of the escape, according to Georgia Department of Corrections records.

Shortly after his escape, Mr. Ross stole a bucket truck, a sheriff’s office spokesman said. This was not Mr. Ross’ first escape, according to a story by the Thomasville Times-Enterprise; he had escaped from the Ben Hill Detention Center while serving a sentence for a burglary conviction previously, the Times-Enterprise wrote.

Riverhead Town police worked with the U.S. Marshal’s Regional Fugitive Task Force to locate him. He was found by police at the Greenview Motel on West Main Street, where he submitted to arrest, police said.

According to media reports, Mr. Ross had been working for a tree service in the area following his escape.

Mr. Ross was processed at the Riverhead police department and arraigned in Riverhead Justice Court. He’s being held at the Suffolk County jail without bail pending extradition to Georgia to face charges for escaping prison and stealing a motor vehicle, officials said.

A U.S. Marshals spokesman and Thomas County Prison warden Robert Geer could not be reached for comment.

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