Inmates on the loose after escaping Abingdon jail

ABINGDON, Va. (WDBJ) - Two inmates are being hunted after they escaped jail in Abingdon Thursday. A $5,000 reward for each man is being offered for information leading to their capture.

Around 2:45 p.m. January 26, 2023, the inmates escaped from the recreational yard at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority in Abingdon. The inmates are Johnny Shane Brown, 51 of Rogersville, Tennessee, and Albert Lee Ricketson, 31 of Abingdon.

Brown is a federal inmate, and Ricketson was convicted of double homicide. Brown was charged with escaping another jail, in Tennessee, last year. (See document below.)

Brown is described as 182 pounds, white and 5′ 11″ with gray hair. Ricketson is 212 pounds, white and 5′ 8″ with brown hair. Brown and Ricketson were last reported seen wearing red jumpsuits and possibly white t-shirts.

Investigators believed the men are traveling in a stolen gold Cadillac SUV that has visible rear-end damage, with Virginia license plates UDZ-6049.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone who sees either man or the vehicle to call 911 immediately.

Johnny Shane Brown Indictment EDTN by Pat Thomas on Scribd