Escaped Inmate Accused Of Stabbing Officer Captured in Lexington

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – South Carolina authorities say an inmate who escaped a maximum-security facility and is accused of stabbing a police officer has been captured.

Dexter Lee of the South Carolina Department of Corrections say 47-year-old Michael Allen Williamson escaped at around 8:50 p.m. Wednesday from McCormick Correctional Institution.  He was captured Thursday morning in the town of Lexington, S.C.

Columbia police officials say a female officer responding to a shoplifting call was stabbed inside a Walmart store in Columbia, South Carolina, about 80 miles east of McCormick.

Lee says authorities think Williamson stabbed the officer but are still investigating. Police said in a news release that the officer is recovering from her injuries.

Williamson began serving a life sentence for armed robbery and assault and battery with intent to kill in 1997. Lee says authorities are still investigating how Williamson got out of the prison.