INCLUDES VIDEO: Prison official discuss the ongoing search.



Two fugitives who escaped from a high security prison in Chattooga County were still at large late Wednesday but are believed to be in a “containment area” near the facility, corrections officials said.

Click here to see a map of the search area.

Rows of fences covered with razor wire encircle the Hays State Prison complex that houses 1,442 inmates near Trion.

Rick Jacobs, special operations manager for the Department of Corrections said that between 10:15 and 10:30 a.m. Monday two inmates “went over the back perimeter fence.”

The Department of Corrections held a press conference at the prison Wednesday morning.

While Jacobs would not provide details, he said there is “direct evidence” to show their escape point from the prison — and said he doesn’t think they’ve gotten very far.

He said the fugitives, convicted armed robbers Johnny Mack Brown and Michael A. Tweedell, are likely still the area of Chattooga County that includes Taylor Ridge — much of it wooded and sparsely populated.

Jacobs said the two prisoners had been uncharacteristically “patient” in avoiding capture so far. Fugitives often do something blatant like steal a car or burglarize a home to facilitate their escape.

“We have not experienced any of that at this point,” said Jacobs. “As patient as these inmates are we’re going to be persistent to ferret them out. … We always get our escapees, and this story will end no differently.”

While there is no indication that the fugitives have made their way into Floyd County, Capt. Mark Wallace of the Floyd County Police Department and Rome Police Deputy Chief Lonzo Roberson said they are on the lookout for the pair.





VIDEO: Prison official discuss ongoing search





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They have not assigned any units to the search.

“Obviously the public knows (the escape has occurred) and the public is on a high alert,” Wallace said. “We’re ready to respond.”

Jacobs said it took approximately a week to detain the last escaped prisoner in 2004, who made it to Oklahoma before he was captured.

He denied allegations that budget cuts to prison staff or faulty technology facilitated the escape and that there was a “cover up” to suppress information in the early hours of the escape.

“In no way, at this point, have we recognized or realized any budget cuts that made any impact on the ability to maintain safety in this particular setting,” Jacobs said.

He said they followed the standard procedure of communicating with local and statewide law enforcement and corrections authorities.

Brown is currently serving a life sentence for a 1997 armed robbery and shooting of a Loomis Fargo armored car driver and other violent crimes in Clarke County. He is 53, weighs 149 pounds and is about 5 feet 8 inches tall. He has a scar on his back and right thigh.

Tweedell is serving two 10-year sentences for the 1992 armed robbery of a Cobb County health food store, according to court records. He is 48, weighs 153 pounds and is 5 feet 6 inches tall.

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