Escaped North Georgia Inmate Captured

ROME, GA — An inmate charged with a violent armed robbery who escaped from a north Georgia courthouse Monday is back in custody.

After a multi-agency, all-day manhunt, Dustin Earl Cotton, 26, was found at about 10 p.m. Monday night, hiding along the banks of the Etowah River. Cotton had run away from the Floyd County Courthouse late Monday morning, according to authorities and had been last seen at a car lot near Glenn Milner Boulevard in Rome.

An orange shirt and shackles were found a block away from the courthouse.

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Cotton escaped the courthouse at 11:48 a.m., according to the Floyd County Sheriff's Office. Authorities say it's the first courthouse escape the county has recorded in at least 15 years.

According to authorities, Cotton was spotted laying on a river bank by a police boat using infrared technology. He was taken into custody without incident and is charged with felony escape, two counts of obstruction and interference with government property.

He was jailed facing multiple felony charges following an armed robbery and police chase in January. According to the Rome News-Tribune, Cotton was charged with the holdup of a Marathon convenience store on Jan. 30.

After the robbery, Cotton allegedly put a gun to the side of a woman in the parking lot and demanded that she get into her vehicle. A struggle ensued, and he ended up knocking the woman to the ground before stealing the vehicle and leading officers on a chase into Bartow County, police say.

Photos courtesy Floyd County Sheriff's Office