Two ‘dangerous’ escapees traveled 260 miles before being recaptured, NC agents say

Two “armed and dangerous” escapees from Vance County’s jail managed to travel more than 260 miles over six days, despite being sought by countless law enforcement agencies, North Carolina investigators say.

Michael Miles and Lishawn Knott were arrested “without incident” around 12:20 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9, at a home on Old Farm School Road in Asheville, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation said in a news release.

“The State Bureau of Investigation’s Special Response Team (SBI SRT) surrounded the home and executed the arrest shortly after midnight,” the SBI said.

“Leads developed through a joint investigation involving the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the SBI led authorities to Buncombe County, where the pair was located.”

Investigators have not addressed how the two men managed to travel more than 260 miles since their June 3 escape from the Vance County Detention Center in Henderson.

Lishawn Knott, 21, has been previously convicted of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, and was arrested in March on the same charge, court records show.

He is also accused of felony rioting by “engaging in a public disturbance” that included a shootout in crowded public parking lot, an arrest warrant says. The assault with a deadly weapon happened during the incident, records report.

Michael Lewis Miles Jr., 33, was arrested May 1 on drug trafficking and weapons charges, including possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office says.

The Vance County Detention Center is in Henderson, about a 45-mile drive northeast from downtown Raleigh.

This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 5:47 AM with the headline "Two ‘dangerous’ escapees traveled 260 miles before being recaptured, NC agents say."