Trending Topics

N.C. jail escapees captured 260 miles from detention center 6 days after breakout

Michael Miles, jailed on drug and firearm charges, and Lishawn Knott, accused of assault and rioting, were arrested in Asheville

Screenshot 2026-06-09 094654.png

North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation/Facebook

By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer

Two “armed and dangerous” escapees from Vance County’s jail managed to travel more than 260-miles over six days, despite being sought by countless law enforcement agencies, North Carolina investigators say.

Michael Miles and Lishawn Knott were arrested “without incident” around 12:20 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9, at a home on Old Farm School Road in Asheville, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation said in a news release.

“The State Bureau of Investigation’s Special Response Team (SBI SRT) surrounded the home and executed the arrest shortly after midnight,” the SBI said.

“Leads developed through a joint investigation involving the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the SBI led authorities to Buncombe County, where the pair was located.”

Investigators have not addressed how the two men managed to travel more than 260 miles since their June 3 escape from the Vance County Detention Center in Henderson.

Lishawn Knott, 21, has been previously convicted of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, and was arrested in March on the same charge, court records show.

He is also accused of felony rioting by “engaging in a public disturbance” that included a shootout in crowded public parking lot, an arrest warrant says. The assault with a deadly weapon happened during the incident, records report.

Michael Lewis Miles Jr., 33, was arrested May 1 on drug trafficking and weapons charges, including possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office says.

The Vance County Detention Center is in Henderson, about a 45-mile drive northeast from downtown Raleigh.

Trending
Roger Meyer went from transporting inmates on the morning of 9/11 to volunteering as a firefighter at Ground Zero just days later
The settlement follows court sanctions against DPSCS for failing to provide records sought by the family of Lamont Mealy, who died of dehydration at Western Correctional Institution in 2023
A longtime Santa Clara County medical employee says staffing and workload challenges could make it difficult to provide meaningful care while meeting the new targets

©2026 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Company News
Acquisition to advance mission-critical public safety operations in the cloud