Officers searching for escaped inmate in New Hanover County

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Officers are searching for an inmate who escaped from the New Hanover County Correctional Center.

A North Carolina Department of Public Safety spokesman said in an email that Stephen Singleton, 34, was discovered missing around 5 a.m. He is believed to have scaled a fence to escape from the prison. The spokesman said Singleton, who is from the Wilmington area, was serving sentences for habitual misdemeanor assault and larceny. Singleton was set for release in January 2018.

When asked what DPS was doing for the search, a spokesman said they are following on leads and tips and dogs from DPS were used in the search. He said there wasn’t an aggressive foot search. The Wilmington Police Department and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office are assisting.

Anyone with information on Singleton’s whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the New Hanover County Correctional Center at (910)251-2666.

WWAY reached out to New Hanover County Schools to see if they were doing anything in light of the news. Year-round students started back this week.

“If there is a threat, law enforcement will always call me.  They have not done so,” Deputy Superintendent Dr. Rick Holliday told a schools spokeswoman.