Escaped inmate facing child sex charges in Tennessee captured in Florida

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A man accused of child sex charges who has been on the run for over a month after escaping custody in Tennessee has been captured in Florida, authorities said.

Sean Williams, 52, was arrested without incident Tuesday in Pinellas County after being spotted in the area and tracked down by a K-9 officer and his partner, the FBI in Knoxville said on social media.

Williams escaped from a transport van on Oct. 18 while being moved from a detention facility in Kentucky to the federal courthouse in Greeneville, Tennessee, according to the FBI.

Authorities have said the camera in the transport van wasn’t working and Williams got out through a broken back window, news outlets reported. Williams was being held in Kentucky after a previous escape attempt in Tennessee.

The former Johnson City businessman was in custody on three counts of production of child sexual abuse material and one count of distribution of cocaine and is now also facing an escape charge, the FBI said.

He also faces numerous state charges including child rape, aggravated sexual battery and especially aggravated sexual exploitation, court records show.

Williams, who is originally from Florida, had stolen a car in Greeneville that was spotted by an officer in Pinellas County who unsuccessfully pursued the vehicle, U.S. Marshal David Jolley told WCYB-TV. Williams was later recognized by a store clerk and although he fled the store, officers were able to track him and found him hiding underneath a tarp, Jolley said.

A lawyer representing Williams in the federal case didn’t immediately respond to an email. A court clerk said Williams had not appeared yet to answer the state charges and did not have an attorney of record.

___

Reynolds reported from Louisville, Kentucky.