Authorities: Worn lock allowed 2 inmates to escape from van

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office says a worn lock is what allowed two inmates to escape from a transport van in Raleigh.

Multiple media outlets report 24-year-old Logan Long and 19-year-old Damarcus Dixon were being taken to Central Prison in Raleigh after a court appearance when they escaped through the van’s back door Friday morning. They were recaptured by police about an hour later.

Sheriff David Carpenter says a door lock bar on a cage inside the transport van became worn out over years of opening and closing. After the bar vibrated itself unlocked, the prisoners were able to reach through a slim opening and open the back door from the inside.

Long and Dixon are charged with felony escape and are being held under $1 million bond apiece.

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