Georgia prison inmates Donnie Russell Rowe, 43, and Ricky Dubose, 24, allegedly overpowered, shot, and killed two correctional officers early Tuesday morning while they were being transported in a prison bus. They are armed, violent repeat offenders, and considered “dangerous beyond belief,” according to Sheriff Howard Sills, Putnam County, GA. If spotted, people are advised not to approach but to call 911 immediately.
Law enforcement needs the public’s help in finding Rowe and Dubose, Sills also said. They reportedly killed Sergeant Curtis Billue, age 58, and Sergeant Christopher Monica, age 42, in a “brutal fashion.” It is not known if the inmate-escapees are still together, if they have split up, or whether they are still in Georgia.
Wednesday evening, law enforcement increased the reward to $115,000 for information leading to the capture of Rowe and Dubose. Multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, as well as Fraternal Order of Police, contributed to the reward.
Fugitives allegedly stole 2008 Ford truck, ditched Honda Civic
The fugitives are, now, believed to be driving a stolen 2008 white Ford F250 pickup truck from a business in Morgan County. The truck was stolen within 10 miles of the sheriff’s office. The Georgia license plate number is BCX5372. The grass-green, 2004 four-door Honda Civic they allegedly stole has been found – intentionally concealed in a wooded area not far from a house in Madison, GA, that they are reported to have burglarized on Tuesday.
Rowe and Dubose may have planned the escape together, said Ricky Myrick, Department of Corrections Assistant Commissioner. The two have known each other for a while and have shared a cell more than once.
Fugitives’ descriptions and history of violence
Rowe stands 6-foot-1, weighs 181 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes. He was serving a life sentence without parole before escaping while in transport from Baldwin State Prison.
His conviction followed a 2001 aggravated assault, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during a crime.
Dubose belongs to the Aryan prison gang, which is known as Ghostface Gangsters, according to an alert by law enforcement. He is described as 6-foot-1, weighs between 140 and 150 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes.
He was convicted of armed robbery in Elbert County in 2014, according to the Department of Corrections. He was sentenced to serve 20 years in Baldwin State Prison.
Dubose is well-known to law enforcement in Elbert County, said Captain Darren Scarborough, Ebert Sheriff’s Office. After he had taken $100 from an acquaintance at gunpoint, he shot the man in the hand. Scarborough characterized the escapee as a “loose cannon.”
His girlfriend, mother, and brother all live in Madison County, adjoining Elbert. Scarborough said, he is very dangerous, and he has nothing to lose. Captain Scarborough thinks Dubose will go down in “a blaze of glory” because, then, an officer will have to account for having shot him.
The escapees are armed with the slain correctional officers’ .40-caliber Glock pistols, according to Sills
