By Rosana Hughes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ATLANTA — An escaped Rockdale County inmate has been apprehended in Newton County after three days on the run, according to officials.
Timothy Allen Shane, 52, was found in the 9000 block of Morris Drive in Covington, the Rockdale sheriff’s office confirmed in a statement Wednesday morning. Authorities swarmed the area after getting a report “that he was seen knocking on doors.”
Shane is accused of slipping out of the sheriff’s office custody while at Grady Memorial Hospital and stealing two vehicles to make his getaway during Monday’s early morning hours.
On Wednesday, officials in Newton said someone reported seeing Shane in the Covington area. Specifically, authorities flagged the area bordered by Old Monticello Street, Jackson Highway, Covington Bypass and Flat Shoals Road and Washington Street.
“Please be mindful about leaving vehicles running and unlocked this morning,” Newton officials warned ahead of Shane’s arrest.
Shane had been wanted in Newton County on kidnapping allegations, according to Conyers police, who initially arrested him Nov. 23.
He was booked into the Rockdale County Jail the following day. Less than a week later, officials said he attempted to hurt himself, prompting his transport to Grady.
The sheriff’s office has declined to answer questions about how Shane escaped. Here is what we know about how the saga transpired.
Nov. 23
The incident that led to Shane’s initial booking into the Rockdale jail started when neighboring Newton officials alerted Conyers police to a kidnapping suspect driving that way. Conyers police spotted the suspect along Ga. 138 headed toward I-20 around 7:30 p.m. and attempted to pull him over.
At the time, Conyers officers knew the man, later identified as Shane, had gone to a nearby convenience store with a woman who mouthed “help me” to the clerk, according to a Conyers police incident report. Authorities later learned Shane knew the woman, had taken her from her home in Covington — in Newton — earlier the same day and demanded she give him $500 to be released, the report states.
He then drove to various convenience stores ordering her to withdraw the money from ATMs, the report details. She was only able to get $200, which she handed to him, it states.
“Throughout the day, she made several attempts to alert members of the public and law enforcement that she was in trouble and needed help,” officers noted in the report.
When Conyers officers caught up to him, a pursuit reaching 128 mph ensued as Shane refused to pull over for the traffic stop. Police said the car chase ended in a residential neighborhood when officers forced the vehicle to a stop using a pursuit immobilization technique maneuver.
Shane then ran away from the disabled vehicle before officers used a Taser to subdue him and take him into custody. Police said they found marijuana and methamphetamine in his shirt pocket and sock.
According to the report, Shane had been armed throughout the day, but it’s not clear if he pointed the gun at the woman he’s accused of kidnapping. He did, however, hand the gun to her during the police chase “and ordered her to wipe his fingerprints off of it,” the incident report states. She told police she did so out of fear but managed to avoid giving it back to him when he demanded it at the end of the pursuit.
Nov. 24
Shane was booked into the Rockdale jail on several charges, including felony fleeing a police officer, reckless driving, possession of methamphetamine and multiple illegal weapons charges. He also had an unspecified warrant to hold him in custody for another agency. It is not clear if that is related to the kidnapping allegation from Newton County .
Sunday
Shane was taken to the hospital after attempting to hurt himself, according to the Rockdale sheriff’s office said. He arrived around 8 p.m.
Monday
By 1:20 a.m., he was gone. Shane managed to escape wearing a medical gown and no shoes in 43-degree breezy weather.
Officials said he left the hospital and stole an SUV parked nearby at Piedmont and Auburn avenues. He then crashed the vehicle less than a mile away, at Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, and ran from that scene, the sheriff’s office said. A Glock handgun was reported stolen out of that vehicle.
From there, the exact timeline is a bit shaky.
At some point on Monday, Shane allegedly stole another vehicle, a silver Pontiac Grand Prix that had been parked near Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Officials said he drove the car 30 miles south to a Publix in Henry County near McDonough.
He ditched that car at the grocery store and eventually took an Uber to a home in southern Rockdale County. Deputies got a search warrant for that house, but did not find him.
It’s not clear what time Shane arrived at the store or took the Uber. The sheriff’s office confirmed the second car had been located at 9 p.m. Monday and released information about the ride-share just before 9 a.m. Tuesday.
In a Tuesday statement, an Uber spokesperson said the company is cooperating with investigators and has blocked the rider account associated with the trip Shane took.
Tuesday
The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to Shane’s arrest.
—
©2025 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
