By Teddy Kulmala
The Herald
ROCK HILL, S.C. — The inmate who escaped from a Rock Hill correctional facility Monday is now believed to be armed, according to the York County Sheriff’s Office.
Zachery Lee Reaves, 26, walked away from the Catawba Pre-release Center on Milling Road in Rock Hill about 9:30 p.m. Monday, authorities say. He was wearing his tan Department of Corrections uniform when he exited the minimum-security facility through a door in the dining area, setting off the alarm.
Deputies determined after speaking with corrections officials that Reaves had been on the run more than an hour and a half before the sheriff’s office was called, according to an incident report. A corrections official told deputies their policy is to conduct a perimeter check before notifying local authorities.
Sometime late Monday or early Tuesday, Reaves is believed to have broken into the Academy Christian School on Border Road south of Rock Hill, according to a report. Deputies responded to the school just after 7 a.m. Tuesday when a school official found the front door window shattered and two rocks inside the school.
Deputies say they found small drops of what appeared to be blood on a desk inside the school. The school official said cash and a handgun were missing from a drawer in the office, the report states. An unknown amount of ammunition was also missing, including 9 mm, .32 and .380 calibers.
Surveillance footage showed a man matching Reaves’ description inside the school, deputies said. The warden at the pre-release center looked at surveillance photos and confirmed it was Reaves.
“He spent a few hours there, we think to get out of the cold,” said Trent Faris, Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
A K-9 team responded Tuesday morning and tracked Reaves’ scent into Chester County, resulting in a brief lockdown at York Technical College’s Chester campus.
Faris said investigators have an idea where Reaves might be heading but declined to comment further.
Reaves should be considered armed and dangerous. “If anyone sees him, please don’t approach him,” Faris said. “Just go ahead and call 911.”
Reaves was serving an eight-year prison sentence for a burglary conviction in Horry County, according to the Department of Corrections. He is described as a white male, 5-foot-10 and 119 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair. He has an angel tattoo on his right shoulder.
Anyone with information on Reaves’ whereabouts is asked to call the Fugitive Apprehension Unit at 877-349-2130 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or at 803-896-2258 after 5 p.m. You can also call the State Law Enforcement Division at 803-737-9000 or your local law enforcement agency.
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