COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. – An inmate who escaped while assigned to a work crew in Columbia County was captured Thursday in Georgia, according to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
Steven Swain Shuman, 22, walked off the worksite in the Fort White area shortly after 11 a.m. on Wednesday. He was doing lawn maintenance at a county facility.
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Once the supervising deputy discovered he was gone, more deputies responded and set up a perimeter.
Department of Corrections K-9s were requested. They tried to find a track, but the Sheriff's Office believes Shuman left in a waiting vehicle.
Shuman, who once lived in Jacksonville with his wife, prior to his incarceration, was captured in Folkston, Georgia, deputies said.
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office alerted Folkston police that Shuman was possibly in their city based on the ongoing investigation, and Folkston police received a tip from a citizen who saw news reports on a local TV station.
Shuman was arrested at 156 A Cherry St, where he was found hiding in the closet of a camper. Also taken into custody was his wife Sharon Bradley, 22, on a warrant out of Duval County.
Shuman will be charged with escape when returned to Columbia County. Charges of aiding the escape are expected on Bradley.
Shuman was in the county jail after an arrest by Lake City police on misdemeanor traffic, misdemeanor possession of marijuana, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and a felony warrant out of Duval County for forging a check.