By Chris Dyches
WBTV
CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — Law enforcement officers have captured an escaped inmate who led deputies on a high-speed chase early Wednesday morning.
According to the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, deputies spotted a car around 3 a.m. speeding at about 80 miles-per-hour on Highway U.S. 21 near Brunson Road outside Fort Lawn.
Deputies chased the car and soon realized the driver was a man who escaped Saturday from a work-release program in Rock Hill.
Juston Barton, 23, was serving a 10-year sentence on assault and battery charges stemming from an incident which occurred in Chester County.
According to the sheriff’s office, Barton wrecked the car near the end of Bridgewood Road and ran from the vehicle. The sheriff told WBTV that deputies looked for Barton between Fort Lawn and Great Falls.
Just before noon on Wednesday, Barton was captured on Sunset Circle in Lancaster County. Officials say he will be turned over into the custody of the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Barton left his work detail at Palmetto Recycling on Saturday around 4:15 p.m. where he had been working since January. When officials went to pick up the inmates who worked there, Barton was nowhere to be found.
In an interview earlier this week, SCDOC Spokesman John Barkley said he didn’t understand why an inmate would mess up an opportunity to work.
“There is no way to know what is in the mind of that individual,” he said of Barton, who was just 18 months away from completing his sentence.
Barkley said the money Barton earned at the recycling center was deposited into an account which would be difficult for Barton to gain access.
“When he is apprehended, he will be treated as an escape,” Barkley said.
Barton will likely be sent to a maximum-security prison and could be sentence to serve an additional 15 years in prison.
The Chester County Sheriff’s Office said Barton will also face additional charges and possible jail time for evading capture and failure to stop during the chase Wednesday morning.
Republished with permission from WBTV.com