Escaped NC Inmate Captured as Prison Employee Arrested

— -- A convicted murderer who escaped from a North Carolina correctional facility unit Saturday was captured Sunday evening, and a prison food service worker is accused of helping him escape after allegedly having sex with him.

Kristopher McNeil, 29, was captured after escaping from the Brown Creek Minimum Unit in Polkton, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety said.

Davidson County authorities said they found McNeil along Highway 52 near Hickory Tree Road before 11 p.m. Sunday. Witnesses recognized McNeil's photo from media coverage and contacted law enforcement, officials said.

George Solomon, director of prisons, said in a statement: "We appreciate the many law enforcement agencies working closely by the department's side working to get McNeil back in custody. We are especially grateful to the citizens who called in tips and anyone who aided in his capture without anyone getting hurt."

McNeil was discovered missing from the Brown Creek Minimum Unit Saturday and may have scaled a fence. He was serving a 14-year prison term for second-degree murder and was due for release in 2018. Because of his escape, McNeil will be transferred to Central Prison in Raleigh.

Meanwhile, Kendra Lynette Miller, 33, faces charges of sex with an inmate, providing an electronic device to an inmate, harboring a fugitive and aiding and abetting a fugitive, according to Public Safety officials. Her bond was reportedly set at $500,000.