Sevier County Inmate Recaptured after Fleeing Work Detail

An inmate from the Sevier County Jail who fled a work detail Tuesday morning spent an hour on the loose before officers recaptured him.

According to Sevier County Sheriff Ron Seals, 43-year-old Ronnie L. Helton was mowing on a work detail Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016 along Dolly Parton Parkway in Sevierville when at 9:06 a.m. he jumped off a mower and ran away from the supervising guard. A Sheriff’s K-9 officer and additional units responded to the scene within minutes and the K-9 tracked Helton to the West Prong Little Pigeon River. At 10:11 a.m. an officer spotted Helton on foot at the intersection of Robert Henderson Road and Cedar Bend Loop and he was immediately taken into custody.

Helton was in jail on a theft and violation of probation charge. He will face an additional charge of escape in connection with the incident.