UPDATE: Corrections officers flying a drone spotted Johnathan Mabe in woods a short distance from Sanford Correctional Center and apprehended him without incident around midnight Friday.
Mabe will be housed at Central Prison in Raleigh and will face charges for escape.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SANFORD - Corrections and law enforcement officers are seeking Johnathan Mabe #0703401 who escaped this morning from Sanford Correctional Center, a minimum-security prison facility in Lee County.
Mabe, 40, is a white male who stands six feet tall and weighs about 200 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes. He has ties to the Sanford area.
Mabe has a long criminal history and was readmitted to prison on September 4 to serve a four-year sentence as an habitual felon. He was due for release in December 2026.
Anyone with information on Mabe’s whereabouts is asked to call 911 or Sanford Correctional Center at 919-895-7036.