The Associated Press
COCOA BEACH, Fla.- Two men who escaped from a South Carolina jail while awaiting sentencing on federal bank robbery charges have been arrested on a Florida beach after a three-week manhunt, authorities said Sunday.
Ted Evan Doughty and Daniel Ryan Pilson, both 21, were arrested without incident late Saturday by Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies and federal agents after a stolen car they were believed to have stolen was spotted in front of a surf shop, FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said in Miami.
Authorities said the men escaped July 22 or 23 from the Lexington County Detention Center. Lexington County officials have said that a corrections officer was negligent, and the unidentified officer has been fired.
The FBI had posted a $10,000 reward for information leading to their capture.
The arrests ended a three-week chase that led authorities from Lexington, S.C., to Charlotte, N.C., to Chesapeake, Va., and Jupiter, Fla. The men stole cars and switched license plates to avoid capture, the FBI said.
Authorities said the men robbed four banks from July to October in 2004. They pleaded guilty to three robberies in a plea bargain; charges stemming from a fourth robbery were dropped.