MORGANTON, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) – Authorities are searching for a Cleveland County man who reportedly escaped from a state prison in Morganton Thursday morning by climbing a fence and running away, according to the NC Department of Public Safety.
State officials said John Anderson climbed a fence at the minimum custody portion of the Foothills Correctional Institution sometime Thursday morning. Authorities said he may have jumped into a vehicle that was waiting for him.
He was last seen wearing green pants and either a grey or white tee-shirt before escaping.
He is described as 5’10” tall and 185 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He has a scar on his forehead and tattoos of Chinese writing on his left arm, faded letters on his left hand and an angel on his right arm.
Anderson was serving a sentence of two years and 10 months for identity theft and fraud, officials said. He was scheduled to be released on January 16, 2022.
Anyone who sees Anderson is asked to call 911 or the Foothills Correctional Institution at 828-438-5585.
