Georgia

Inmate charged with rape, child sex crimes escapes south Georgia jail, authorities say

Authorities in a south Georgia community are urging the public to keep their eyes peeled for an inmate who escaped the Sumter County Jail over the weekend.

Charlie Lee Lester remained on the run Monday after fleeing the facility Sunday, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. The public is warned against approaching Lester and should call 911 instead, police said.

Lester, charged with several crimes including rape and child molestation, is described as a Black man standing 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighing 250 pounds, according to police. He also has several tattoos on his neck and upper body.

Online records show Lester had been jailed since Aug. 7 on numerous other charges.

Anyone with information on Lester’s whereabouts is urged to call police or provide tips anonymously to 229-815-6721

This story was originally published October 19, 2020 at 10:48 AM with the headline "Inmate charged with rape, child sex crimes escapes south Georgia jail, authorities say."

Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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