JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — Two of three escaped Johnson City inmates appeared before a Washington County judge on Monday after the U.S. Marshals Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force apprehended them in Knoxville Friday.
Arraignments began at 1:30 p.m. in Washington County General Sessions Court, and captured inmates Breanna Fleenor and Mary Dunn were appointed public defenders and revealed that neither could meet their $10,000 bonds.
Fleenor, 30, was originally sentenced for the sale of meth and faces additional charges in Bristol, Virginia in connection to a shooting in 2021 that reportedly injured a man as he sat in his car.
Det. Lt. Steve Crawford with the Bristol, Virginia Police Department (BVPD) told News Channel 11 that since the Bristol, Tennessee Police Department pulled Fleenor over across state lines, she was incarcerated in Tennessee due to other outstanding warrants.
Dunn, 33, was convicted of felony theft and evading arrest. According to Tennessee law, those who escape from custody while serving time for a felony could face an additional Class E felony charge.
They have remained in the Washington County Detention Center since their capture on Friday and are scheduled to make another appearance in court on March 17 at 1:30 p.m.
While the two are in custody, the hunt for the third and final inmate, Kayla Danielle Pierson, 25, remains ongoing.
“We believe that she was separated from them; we don’t believe that she was with the two that were captured at the time,” said Johnson City Police Department Sgt. David Hilton. “We’re still following up on leads regarding Kayla Pierson.”
“They will have a hold from the Tennessee Department of Corrections,” said Hilton. “They are currently state inmates, so they will not be able to post bond.”
The JCPD told News Channel 11 that a stolen vehicle was also found in Knoxville close to where the two inmates were captured.
Pierson is described as having red hair and blue eyes. Anyone with knowledge regarding Pierson’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Criminal Investigation Division at 423-434-6166.
Anonymous tips can be sent by calling Crime Stoppers at 423-434-6158 or by texting 423JCPD and the tip to 847411.
