Latest on Whiteville escaped convict

A man hunt is going on in Columbus County Thursday night.

An escaped inmate is on the run. Schools went on lock down Thursday, and police continue to search for a prisoner on the run.

Armed officers canvass ditches, woods, on foot and in the air, searching for any sign of 39-year-old Archie Funderburk.

Funderburk was about three months in to a one year prison sentence for larceny when he escaped around 10:30 Thursday morning.

It was along 701 where Archie Funderburk was picking up garbage and ran into the woods, despite two armed guards firing at him.

The escape prompted the five Whiteville city schools to go on lock down for the whole school day. They had planned on a noon dismissal.

At Central Middle School, parents were allowed to pick up their children if they showed ID.

“Teachers had to lock the doors. We couldn’t go to the bathroom or anything,” said Christin Smith of Central Middle School.

Adding to the confusion was the fact that some parents have kids in several Whiteville schools.

Buses eventually were allowed to take students home late in the day, accompanied by law enforcement.

A command post was set up along NC 701. Officers from all over the area will comb the area until they find Funderburk. He was eligible for early release in February but now faces additional jail time, if caught.