Inmate Wanted After Escaping During Family Visitation

SPINDALE, N.C. – Authorities are searching for an inmate who escaped from Rutherford Correctional Center during family visitation.

Officials said Roy Buff, 33, escaped shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday. He was scheduled to be released in May of 2025 after serving three years for an assault conviction.

Buff is 5-foot-7 and weighs approximately 180 pounds. Officials said he has multiple tattoos on his head, face and neck.

He was last seen wearing green pants and a gray shirt.

Anyone with information on Buff’s location is asked to call 911 or the Rutherford Correctional Center at 828-286-4121.