Orange County inmate recaptured just over 24-hours after escaping minimum security prison

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- An Orange County inmate who escaped prison Monday morning has been recaptured.

Orange Correctional Center officials first noticed William Cooper, 46, was missing during the Monday morning count at around 6. He was recaptured at around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday in Hillsborough.

Cooper was behind bars serving a three-year sentence for a larceny conviction in Alamance County. He was scheduled for release in December 2024.

Cooper will now face addition charges and be moved to a higher security facility.

A female suspect has also been arrested in the case and will face charges of aiding and abetting in the escape.

Orange Correctional Center is a minimum security prison for males located on Clarence Walters Road in Hillsborough. It has a capacity of 200 inmates.