NC prison inmate who left Raleigh job site in stolen pickup captured, officials say
An inmate who left a Raleigh work site Friday in a stolen truck was found two hours later in Randolph County.
Ronnie Dwayne East, a minimum-custody offender, was discovered missing around 3:15 p.m. Friday from his job in an Adult Correction warehouse at 200 Leagan Drive, according to the N.C. Department of Adult Correction. A search revealed he had stolen a state-owned 2023 white, four-door Ford F-150 pickup with no plates from the site, the release stated.
About 5:10 p.m., the pickup was found in Liberty, a town in Randolph County that’s about 62 miles west of Raleigh and Leagan Drive. Authorities found East in woods nearby.
East, 41, had been serving a four-year sentence at Wake Correctional Center for breaking and entering and larceny in Randolph County. He was scheduled for release in July 2026.
He now faces escape and vehicle theft charges, officials said.
