Washington – The U.S. Marshals announced today the addition of Johnny Mack Brown, who escaped Oct. 13 from Hays State Prison in Trion, Ga., to the service’s 15 Most Wanted fugitive list.

Brown and fellow inmate, Michael Tweedel, escaped by climbing atop a dormitory building to avoid an interior fence and scaling two perimeter fences and eight strands of razor wire.

Brown was serving a life sentence plus 70 years for the 1997 shooting of an armored-car guard. He was convicted of aggravated assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, aggravated battery, theft by taking, hijacking a motor vehicle and aggravated assault.

“Johnny Brown has a long history of criminal activity and he has proven himself to be a great threat to anyone who crosses his path,” said Director John F. Clark of the United States Marshals Service. ““Brown’s addition as a 15 Most Wanted fugitive underscores our commitment to use all of our available resources to bring him to justice.”

This is Brown’s second escape from prison; he escaped Georgia’s Clarke County Jail in 1998 by crawling under a fence and scaling a wall. He then went on a three-state crime spree that included breaking into a South Carolina home and hiding in the attic unnoticed for three days. When the homeowner discovered him, Brown beat the 84-year-old man with a barbell. Brown was apprehended three weeks after his escape in Daytona, Fla.

Brown began his stay at Hays State Prison in 1999. Upon Brown and Tweedel’s escape from there, authorities launched a search from land and air that involved 65 officers and canine units.

Brown was spotted Oct. 20 when he allegedly abducted a Chattooga County, Ga., woman from her home at knife point and forced her to drive him to Franklin County, Ga., where he is believed to have family connections. Authorities say Brown was then picked up by someone in a dark colored compact car and hasn’t been seen since then.

Brown was last seen wearing a red pullover t-shirt, gray sweat pants and a brown and gray winter coat. He is a 52 year-old white male, 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. Brown has blue eyes and graying brown hair. He has scars on his back and right thigh. Johnny Mack Brown’s known aliases include Mark Brown and Johnny Mark Brown.

A $25,000 reward is offered for information leading directly to his arrest. If you have information about Johnny Mack Brown’s whereabouts, immediately contact your nearest U.S. Marshals office or call the Marshals 24-hour hotline at 1-800-336-0102.

The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. Annually, U.S. Marshals arrest more federal fugitives and serve more federal warrants than all other federal agencies combined. For more information on USMS 15 Most Wanted fugitives and USMS Major Cases, go to www.usmarshals.gov.

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