Two inmates who escaped two weeks ago from a minimum security prison in north Columbia, S.C. have been captured after hiking about 30 miles through the woods to Newberry County.
Christopher Pawloski, 27, and Shane Adams, 24, were picked up about 2 a.m. last Monday trying to flag down cars on U.S. 176 near Peak, Sheriff Lee Foster said.
The men escaped Wednesday afternoon from the Manning Correctional Institution, slipping away and scaling a fence as officers tried to get the inmates organized, prison officials said.
If convicted of escape, each man could get from one to 15 years added to his prison sentence.
Deputies early last Monday morning didn't immediately recognize the pair, who were wearing work clothes instead of their prison-issued tan jumpsuits, Foster said.
A deputy recognized a tattoo on one of the prisoners to end the inmates' five days on the run fighting off mosquitoes, sleeping outdoors and dodging frequent afternoon storms.
Pawloski and Adams told investigators they walked six miles from the prison to the Broad River, then started hiking up the river, through the woods.
They made it about 30 miles through rough terrain to the southern part of Newberry County near Peak.
But the pair hadn't eaten in days and Adams was having trouble with kidney stones, so they decided to walk to the road to try to get help.
The men told deputies the people they were camping with had left for a day or two but planned to come back to pick them up, Foster said.
Officers took the men to the hospital. A routine check of the names the two men gave the officers came up with nothing, the sheriff said.
The pair told deputies they left their identification at the campsite.
"That's when they became really suspicious," Foster said.
Another officer noticed the words "No Fear" tattooed on Adams' arm.
He went out to his cruiser, looked at a wanted poster, then realized the pair were prison escapees. When they were confronted, they quickly acknowledged who they were, Foster said.
The two were taken to the Newberry County jail, where prison officials will take them back into their custody.