Brown fled from Lake City Work Release Center early Saturday morning.
Brown
A five-hour manhunt Saturday morning ended with the capture of an escaped inmate.
Stadius Brown, a 34-year-old, escaped from the Lake City Work Release Center around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, but was apprehended little more than five hours later.
Brown, who was recently placed in the work release program, had removed his ankle monitor and fled, according to a Lake City Police Department release.
LCPD began the search for Brown and were joined by bloodhound units from the Florida Department of Corrections from both Suwannee and Baker counties.
According to the release, authorities tracked Brown to an area near NW Main Blvd. and NW Waldo St.
After K-9 officers narrowed down the search area, officers from LCPD, FDC and the Columbia County Sheriff's Office eventually found Brown hiding in a camper, which he had broken into, that was parked behind a business.
After initially refusing to exit the camper, Brown was taken into custody around 8:45 a.m.
"This search was a significant effort that would not have been possible without the support of the bloodhound units from Suwannee and Baker Correctional Institutes, as well as CCSO," Lake City Interim Police Chief Gerald Butler said in a release. "Ultimately the escapee was found by LCPD Officers being thorough in their efforts."
According to the release, state authorities are investigating how Brown was able to escape.
Brown was arrested by LCPD on escaping confinement, burglary, criminal mischief and resisting arrest charges. Held without bond, Brown will be remanded to FDC on his original charges of sell/manufacture/distributing drugs and smuggling contraband into a correctional facility.