Escaped Tennessee inmates caught in Florida

Two inmates considered armed and dangerous after escaping from a Tennessee prison were caught Sunday in Florida, authorities said.

Robert Lee Brown and Christopher Osteen were arrested by law enforcement officers in Pompano Beach, Florida, more than two days after breaking out from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Lake County, Tennessee, the Tennessee Department of Corrections said in a news release.

The two escapees, who had been placed on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list, were inside a stolen pick up truck when they were found at about 8 p.m., Florida’s Local10 News reported.

Both men tried to flee on foot but were apprehended shortly after.

It’s unclear how Brown and Osteen managed to break out on Friday morning from the minimum security annex of their prison in Tiptonville, Tennessee, about 1,070 miles northwest of Pompano Beach.

Shortly after their escape, they kidnapped an employee of the highway department in Fulton County, Kentucky, from a boat ramp on the Mississippi River and took off with his vehicle, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office reported on its Facebook page.

The man and his department truck were later located in Henry County.

Early Saturday, deputies also found a Henry County resident who had been tied up in his home by the fugitives. The duo stole the resident’s red 2009 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab pickup truck, which was recovered Sunday in Florida.

Brown, 36, had been serving an 18-year sentence for aggravated rape, while Osteen, 34, had been serving an eight-year sentence for burglary, reckless aggravated assault and theft.

Both men face additional charges stemming from their escape.

Brown and Osteen were being housed by the Tennessee Department of Corrections on Sunday night.