Inmate had heartbreaking reason for escape during work detail, NC officials say

An inmate who escaped from a roadwork crew in western North Carolina was trying to reach his terminally ill mother for a final visit, according to investigators.

The escape happened Thursday in Hayesville and Thomas Daniel Ware was recaptured a day later, before reaching his mother, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said in an April 17 news release.

“Ware, a work crew inmate at the Clay County Detention Center, ... ran away while mowing a roadside,” the sheriff’s office said. “Ware indicated he had primarily been hiding in a remote wooded area since his escape.”

On Saturday, April 18, the sheriff’s office revealed 49-year-old Ware’s escape was motivated by his mother’s worsening health. She lives in another state, officials said.

“We will always try to make arrangements for our inmates to see loved ones who are terminally ill,” the sheriff’s office said.

“When Ware was captured, he was told we would have made those accommodations if he had only informed us that his mother was terminally ill. Of course, after verifying the condition of Ware’s mother and making appropriate security arrangements, we will make this happen regardless of his escape.”

Taking inmates out of state for such visits requires extradition and “extensive coordination with the court systems,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Regardless, we will always do everything within our power to make these visits and funeral attendances happen,” officials said.

Ware is being held at the Clay County Detention Center while awaiting trial, and his escape resulted in an additional charge of felony prison breach and escape, jail records show.

Hayesville is about a 220-mile drive west from uptown Charlotte.

This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 7:24 AM with the headline "Inmate had heartbreaking reason for escape during work detail, NC officials say."