Jacobia Crisp accused of helping escaped killer by driving him around, possibly booking hotel rooms
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The woman who allegedly helped convicted killer Ramone Alston escape made a first court appearance on Monday.
Jacobia Crisp was arrested last week in Alamance County and charged with felony aiding and abetting a fugitive. She bonded out of jail Friday.
Investigators said she drove Alston around but didn't say where. The pair allegedly met after Alston was already in jail. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said Alston and Crisp began a relationship by phone. The Department of Adult Correction (DAC) said those calls were not public record.
ABC11 is working to piece together new information about how Crisp may have helped Alston escape custody - and stay hidden for three days.
Three days later, the FBI and several other agencies took Alston into custody at the Microtel Inn in Kannapolis, not far from Charlotte, busting out a window and leading him through the lobby.
Hotel staffers told ABC affiliate WSOC that the room he was staying in Thursday night was booked under the name "Jacobia Crisp."
An employee from the Comfort Inn and Suites just up the road from the Microtel said Alston stayed there Wednesday night - also under Crisp's name.
"Checked him in and there were no problems are anything like that, I'm just glad that someone got taken off the street that can you know not harm anybody," hotel employee Audrey Richardson told WSOC.
Crisp was arrested shortly after at her Burlington home. She was wearing a pharmacy tech uniform from Walgreens at the time. The company confirmed to ABC11 on Monday that Crisp was no longer employed with Walgreens.
The complete relationship between Alston and Crisp remains muddled, but the sheriff's office said she drove him around after he escaped.
The Orange County District Attorney's Office told ABC11 on Monday that Crisp could potentially receive as much as five years in prison if convicted of the charges she faces. A judge will factor in her prior criminal history when it comes to any sentencing, and her prior charges are minor and mostly traffic-related.
Crisp was stoic on Monday as she walked to and from court, revealing no emotions as she faced the judge and did not respond to reporter questions.
She has another court date set for next month and will remain free on bond until then.
The escaped killer who was captured early Friday in a hotel near Charlotte was expected to appear in court Monday but did not do so.
Alston faces two charges: Felony escape from state prison and assault on a government official.
DAC is trying to determine how Alston freed himself from shackles on Tuesday and ran before a scheduled appointment at UNC hospitals in Hillsborough.
Authorities took Alston to Granville Correctional Institute in Butner to continue his sentence. It's the facility with the highest security in the state.
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ABC11 also learned that a law enforcement review of this incident should be done in about a month - and that's when DAC could decide to change policy concerning prisoner transport.
It wasn't immediately known when Alston would appear in court on the new charges after his escape.
