Inmate That Walked Off Work Detail Monday Taken Back Into Custody

CARROLL COUNTY, GA- A state inmate walked away from a prison work detail on Monday afternoon. Only to be on the run for a brief period of time before being taken back into custody just a brief distance from where the escape was made. This becomes the second Georgia inmate to walk away from a work detail in the past week and be captured a short time later.

On Monday, October 13, 2025, at 3:30 p.m. Carroll County E911 received a call from a detail officer with the Carroll County Correctional Institution advising that an inmate assigned to the work detail in the area of East Luke Road and Highway 113 in Temple was unaccounted for.

The inmate was identified as David Emsley Wheeles. Officials confirm that Wheeles was a state inmate assigned to the Carroll County Correctional Institution. Deputies with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Carroll County Correctional Institution, United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, and Department of Corrections descended on the area and began to search for Wheeles.

On the morning of Tuesday, October 14, 2025, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office reports that Wheeles was located and taken into custody in the area of Villa Rica Road, not far from the location of the work detail he walked away from. Wheeles has received new charges of felony escape and is back in custody.

Wheeles becomes the second Georgia inmate to walk off a work detail in recent days. On Tuesday, October 7, 2025, a inmate assigned to the Harris County Prison in west central Georgia walked away from a work detail at a local park. He was caught a short time later naked trying to flag down cars.

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Alton Mitchell

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Alton Mitchell is a career journalist, who currently resides in the Atlanta, Georgia area. He began his journalistic writing career while attending middle school and continued on through high school earning top honors by becoming his high school newspapers Editor in Chief. During his senior year of high school Mitchell's work received community recognition following an article that helped to save a local elementary school from closure. He would later go on to college where he earned degrees in Political Science and English. Following his graduation from college Mitchell would take on several reporting jobs at smaller publications and worked in roles ranging from a freelance journalist to editorial related roles. His work was recognized and received Press Association Awards in 2021. Writing is a passion and a love for Mitchell and he hopes to enlighten the community he serves through his works with A Mitchell Media LLC.

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