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| Escaped S.C. prison inmates recaptured |
| By Carolina Morning News |
| Published: 12/29/2003 |
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Two inmates who escaped from the Ridgeland Correctional Institution got a taste of freedom during Christmas, but will not have a happy New Year. Shawn Wiles, 24, of Columbia and John Calvin Griffin Jr., 20, of Charleston were apprehended nearly a week after their escape from Jasper County. Wiles was captured after a standoff with police in Saluda on Friday, while Griffin was arrested without incident early Saturday morning, said Robert Ward, director of operations for the South Carolina Department of Corrections. The two were discovered missing from the Ridgeland Correctional Institution on the morning of Dec. 20, said spokesman John Barkley. It was the second time in a month the inmates had escaped from the Ridgeland facility. Wiles was arrested after a three-hour standoff with police in Saluda, said Robert Stewart, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief. "We received a call from (Saluda County Sheriff Jason Booth) about 1 p.m. on Friday and he said a vehicle had hit a store after a short chase. He informed me that the suspect was inside the store, possibly with hostages. At that point, the SLED SWAT team responded." The SWAT team tried negotiating with the suspect, but didn't know his identity until a woman came out of the store. SWAT team personnel noticed a ceiling tile out of place and used the VIPER, a video periscope with night vision to see into the ceiling, he said. Wiles was taken into custody about 4 p.m. Friday. Griffin's arrest was not as exciting, Ward said. "We received a lead on Griffin and went to an address in rural Lexington County at about 6 a.m.," Stewart said. "The subject was taken into custody at that location without incident." Both men are currently being held in maximum security prisons, Ward said. |
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