Following a fatal attack on two Georgia Department of Corrections officers today, Gov. Nathan Deal vowed to deploy every state resource necessary to help capture two inmates who escaped from custody.
Georgia Department of Corrections Officers Christopher Monica and Curtis Billue were shot to death around 6:45 this morning on a stretch of GA Highway 16 near Eatonton. They were running a prison transport when two inmates overpowered them, stole their guns and killed them. Monica had worked with GDC since October 2009. Billue would have marked his tenth year with GDC next month.
This afternoon the governor issued the following statement:
“Today, two families lost everything in a heinous and senseless act of violence perpetrated at the hands of cowards. Words do not adequately express our sorrow in losing Sergeant Christopher Monica and Sergeant Curtis Billue in the line of duty. The selflessness and courage of these two brave souls will not be forgotten, nor will their sacrifice and service. Sandra and I mourn alongside their families and communities, and we offer our deepest sympathies to their loved ones. Our heartbreak is matched only in our resolve to bring their murderers to justice.
No effort will be spared in pursuit of the killers, and no state resources required in this endeavor will be spared. Led by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, multiple local, state and federal agencies are assisting in the investigation. State law enforcement agencies involved in the manhunt include the Georgia Department of Corrections, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Department of Public Safety, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Joining them are our federal partners from the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Local law enforcement officers engaged in the effort include the Baldwin, Greene, Henry and Jasper Counties Sheriffs’ Offices and the Eatonton Police Department.
The escaped inmates are identified as 24-year-old Ricky Dubose and 43-year-old Donnie Russell Rowe. Officials say they may be traveling in a stolen vehicle. A lookout has been issued for a green 2004 Honda Civic with GA tag RBJ6601.
Dubose and Rowe are considered armed and extremely dangerous. Officials caution that if you see the inmates or the vehicle do not approach them. Call 911 immediately.
