Inmate captured in Davidson County; prison officer accused of aiding escape

An inmate who escaped early Saturday from North Carolina’s Brown Creek Minimum Unit was captured and is now behind bars at Davidson County Jail.

Davidson County deputies picked up escaped inmate Kristopher McNeil just before 11 p.m. Sunday as he was walking along old Highway 52 near Hickory Tree Road near the Davidson/Forsyth county line. He was taken to the Davidson County Jail, and was expected to be transported to Central Prison in Raleigh.

McNeil, 29, was serving a 14-year sentence for second-degree murder. He was scheduled for release in 2018.

Several citizens recognized McNeil from his photo in media reports and called law enforcement, officials said.

“We appreciate the many law enforcement agencies working closely by the department’s side working to get McNeil back in custody,” said prisons director George Solomon. “We are especially grateful to the citizens who called in tips and anyone who aided in his capture without anyone getting hurt.”

A joint investigation by the Department of Public Safety, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Polkton Police Department led law enforcement to charge a prison officer with multiple charges in connection to the escape of McNeil.

Polkton PD charged Kendra Lynette Miller, 33, with sex with an inmate, providing an electronic device to an inmate, harboring a fugitive and aiding and abetting a fugitive, officials said. Bond for Miller is set at $500,000.

Miller has been a food service officer since December at the facility from which McNeil escaped, officials said.

This story was originally published June 29, 2015 at 5:41 AM with the headline "Inmate captured in Davidson County; prison officer accused of aiding escape."