Three Tennessee inmates escaped from jail through an HVAC air vent Friday morning and are believed to be on the loose in Virginia, authorities said.
Tobias Wayne Carr, 38; Johnny Shane Brown, 50; and Timothy Allen Sarver, 45, accessed the air vent system through the ceiling of their cell and escaped through the vent on the roof of Sullivan County Jail, Capt. Andy Seabolt with the county sheriff's office told NBC affiliate WCYB of Bristol, Virginia.
The trio is believed to be traveling in a white 2001 Chevrolet Silverado, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday. They may be in the Pulaski, Virginia, area.
The white Chevy truck they are believed to be driving was possibly spotted in the New River Valley area in Virginia, officials said.
On Sunday, a reward of $7,500 was announced for information leading to the arrest of each man.
The sheriff's office shared the charges the three men were jailed on: Carr with second-degree murder, vandalism and tampering with evidence; Brown with harassment, domestic assault and aggravated stalking; and Sarver with auto theft and identify theft.
"Our primary focus continues to be the apprehension of the escaped inmates," the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The sheriff's office advises people who spot the inmates to call 911 immediately and to not approach them.
The U.S. Marshals Service and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are aiding in the investigation.
Anyone with information regarding where the men may be headed is asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND.