Search underway for man convicted of murder who left Atlanta correctional facility

(NEW YORK) — A manhunt is underway in Georgia for a man convicted of murder who apparently left an Atlanta correctional facility while on parole.

The Georgia Department of Corrections issued an alert Wednesday for residents to be on the lookout for Charles Smith, who it said had “walked away” from the Atlanta Transitional Center.

“DO NOT APPROACH,” the agency warned.

Smith was convicted and given a maximum life sentence for a 1992 murder in Clayton County, according to online prison records, which list his current status as parole. He is a resident of the transitional center, officials said.

Authorities described Smith as standing 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing about 200 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. He was last seen wearing black pants and a black shirt.

The Georgia Department of Corrections also issued an alert for another escaped convict early Thursday.

The agency warned residents to be on the lookout for Johnson State Prison inmate Dshawn Garrison, who was sentenced to 25 years on a rape conviction, online prison records show.

Garrison escaped from Johnson State Prison in Wrightsville Wednesday evening and was last seen in Sparta, about 45 miles northwest of the facility, authorities said.

Washington County sheriff’s deputies pursued a vehicle matching the description of the one Garrison allegedly fled in until it crashed in Sparta, the sheriff’s office said. The occupants fled on foot, authorities said.

“At this time, many law enforcement agencies are in this area attempting to apprehend the inmate and his accomplices,” the sheriff’s office said in a social media post while urging residents in the area to “use caution.”

Authorities described Garrison as standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 167 pounds with brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a state-issued inmate uniform.

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