Two Georgia inmates are armed and on the run after one of them shot and killed two Georgia State Correctional Officers, officials said.

Two state prisoners overpowered the correctional officers who were driving a transport bus along Georgia State Route 16 between Eatonton and Sparta in Putnam County at around 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, about 80 miles southeast of Atlanta, according to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.

One corrections officer had been driving the large bus and the second officer was sitting up front, according to officials.

The prisoners breached a protective gate on the bus to reach the officers, before disarming and killing them both, the sheriff's office said.

The sheriff's office identified the escaped inmates as Donnie Russell Rowe of middle Tennessee and Ricky Dubose of Madison County, Georgia, and said they were prisoners at Baldwin State Prison.

It is unclear at this time whether specifically Rowe or Dubose shot and killed the two correctional officers.

Thirty-one other inmates were on board the bus, which was heading to a diagnostic facility at the time the escape took place, and have provided assistance to investigators, officials said.

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills, appearing emotional at a news conference Tuesday afternoon, described the inmates as "dangerous beyond description."

"I saw two brutally murdered corrections officers," Sills said. "I have their blood on my shoes."

Georgia Department of Corrections

Georgia Corrections

Following the incident on the bus, Rowe and Dubose, armed with the officers’ .40 caliber Glock pistols, allegedly carjacked a Honda Civic from a resident who was driving by, and then fled west toward Eatonton, the sheriff's office said.

Later Tuesday afternoon, the escaped prisoners are suspected to have committed a residential burglary, according to the sheriff's office.

The incident took place at around 2 p.m., they said, and the house where the alleged burglary took place was ransacked, with food and clothing taken from the premises.

The sheriff's office said Tuesday afternoon that authorities didn't know what the prisoners are wearing and believed that they most likely had shed their prison uniforms.

Google

Rowe is serving life without parole for armed robbery, the department of corrections said, and Dubose is serving a 20-year sentence for armed robbery.

The slain Baldwin State Prison officers were Christopher Monica, 42, who was hired in 2009, and Curtis Billue, 58, who was hired in 2007, Georgia Corrections said. Officials said their families are "distraught."

"Both officers were known for their unwavering commitment to their job and their love of family," the Georgia Department of Corrections said in a statement.

Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Gregory Dozier said, “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of two of our officers, who are our family, and our priority is to locate these fugitives and bring them to justice for this heinous act against those working to protect the public.”

Putman County Sheriffs Office

BOLO: Please retweet pic.twitter.com/XW6V6lIwQV — GA Bureau of Invest (@GBI_GA) June 14, 2017

Dubose is described as a white man with blue eyes and brown hair, standing at 6 feet 1 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds.

Rowe is described as a white man with blue eyes and brown hair, standing at 6 feet 1 inches tall and weighing 181 pounds.

Dubose and Rowe's stolen car was initially described as a green 2004 Honda Civic with Georgia license plate RBJ6601, but as of Wednesday, police believe the suspects may have also stolen a white 2008 Ford F-250 truck with Georgia license plate BCX5372.

A cash reward of $90,000 is now being offered for anyone who provides information leading to the arrest of Dubose and Rowe.</s>iStock/Thinkstock(ATLANTA) — Two Georgia inmates are armed and on the run after one of them shot and killed two Georgia State Correctional Officers Tuesday morning, officials said.

Around 5:45 a.m. Tuesday, two state prisoners overpowered the two correctional officers who were driving a transport bus along Georgia State Route 16 between Eatonton and Sparta in Putnam County, about 80 miles southeast of Atlanta, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said.

The prisoners disarmed the officers and one of the inmates shot and killed both guards, the sheriff’s office said.

The prisoners, armed with officers’ .40 caliber Glock pistols, stole a vehicle and fled west toward Eatonton, the sheriff’s office said.

The inmates are Donnie Russell Rowe and Ricky Dubose, Georgia Corrections tweeted Tuesday morning.

ABC affiliate WSB-TV reported that both escaped inmates were convicted of assault and armed robbery, and that Rowe was serving life without parole.

Georgia Corrections urges anyone who sees the inmates to not approach them and to call 911.

The car is described as a green 2004 Honda Civic with Georgia license plate RBJ6601.</s>The Latest on the manhunt of Georgia inmates accused in the slaying of prison guards. (all times local):

 

5:30 p.m.

 

A Georgia sheriff says a green Honda stolen by two inmates who killed their guards before escaping from a prison bus has been located.

 

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said the "grass green" Honda Civic was found Wednesday in a wooded area in Madison not far from a house that the pair had burglarized Tuesday. Sills said the car was intentionally concealed.

 

Authorities say the two men overpowered and killed 42-year-old Sgt. Christopher Monica and 58-year-old Sgt. Curtis Billue on a prison transport bus on state Highway 16 in Putnam County before fleeing in the stolen Honda.

 

Authorities say the two men then traveled about 25 miles north to Madison, where they broke into a house Tuesday morning and then stole a white Ford F250 pickup truck with the Georgia tag BCX5372 from a nearby industrial site.

 

Authorities don't know whether the two men are still in Georgia or whether they're traveling together.

 

___

 

1:55 p.m.

 

A Georgia corrections official said two escaped inmates accused of killing two prison guards have known each other for "quite a while" and it's possible they planned the escape together.

 

Department of Corrections Assistant Commissioner Ricky Myrick said 43-year-old Donnie Russell Rowe and 24-year-old Ricky Dubose have been cellmates more than once, but he wasn't sure whether they were cellmates at Baldwin State Prison just prior to their escape.

 

Authorities say the two men overpowered and killed 42-year-old Sgt. Christopher Monica and 58-year-old Sgt. Curtis Billue on a prison transport bus before fleeing in a stolen car.

 

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said the pair ransacked a house in Madison, about 25 miles north of where the killings happened, and then stole a white pickup truck from a nearby business.

 

Sills said both men were violent repeat offenders and are considered armed and dangerous.

 

___

 

1:35 p.m.

 

A Georgia sheriff says two escaped inmates accused of killing two prison guards are believed to have stolen a white pickup truck.

 

Authorities have said 43-year-old Donnie Russell Rowe and 24-year-old Ricky Dubose overpowered and killed 42-year-old Sgt. Christopher Monica and 58-year-old Sgt. Curtis Billue and escaped from a prison transfer bus around 6:45 a.m. Tuesday.

 

Immediately after the escape, authorities said, the two carjacked a driver and fled in his green Honda Civic and went to Madison, about 25 miles to the north, where they burglarized a house.

 

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said Wednesday that the two are believed to have stolen a 2008 white Ford F250 pickup truck with the Georgia tag BCX5372 from a business about 9 miles from the burglarized house in Madison. The truck was stolen between 6 p.m. Tuesday and 6 a.m. Wednesday.

 

Sills says the green Honda still hasn't been recovered and it's unknown whether the two men are still traveling together.

 

___

 

11:15 a.m.

 

A Georgia sheriff says authorities still don't know the whereabouts of two escaped Georgia inmates accused of killing two prison guards.

 

Authorities have said 43-year-old Donnie Russell Rowe and 24-year-old Ricky Dubose overpowered and killed 42-year-old Sgt. Christopher Monica and 58-year-old Sgt. Curtis Billue and escaped from a prison transfer bus around 6:45 a.m. Tuesday.

 

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said Wednesday that the two inmates "thoroughly ransacked" a house in Madison, about 25 miles north of where the escape happened, several hours after the guards were killed. Sills says they took some food and likely some clothes and left their prison uniforms behind.

 

Sills says authorities aren't sure where they went after that, but he suspects they're no longer in the Madison area.

 

___

 

7:45 a.m.

 

The reward has increased for information leading to the arrests of two escaped Georgia inmates accused of killing two prison guards.

 

Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Nelly Miles said in an email Wednesday that multiple agencies have contributed $70,000 to the arrest of 43-year-old Donnie Russell Rowe and 24-year-old Ricky Dubose.

 

Authorities say Rowe and Dubose killed Baldwin State Prison transfer sergeants 42-year-old Christopher Monica and 58-year-old Curtis Billue after overpowering and disarming them on a transport bus Tuesday morning.

 

___

 

3:29 a.m.

 

Authorities say two Georgia inmates serving long prison sentences and "dangerous beyond description" overpowered and killed two guards on a prison bus before fleeing in a stolen car.

 

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills says the deadly escape happened about 6:45 a.m. Tuesday as the guards drove 33 inmates between prisons, and it set off a massive manhunt involving local, state and federal officers.

 

Sills was emotional as he described the scene.

 

Stills says Donnie Russell Rowe, serving life without parole, and Ricky Dubose, who has prominent tattoos on his face and neck, overpowered, disarmed and killed Sgt. Christopher Monica and Sgt. Curtis Billue and then carjacked a driver who happened to pull up behind the bus on a rural highway.

 

They got into the "grass green," four-door 2004 Honda Civic with the Georgia license plate number RBJ-6601 and drove west on state Highway 16 toward Eatonton, southeast of Atlanta.</s>Two state prisoners overpowered the correctional officers who were driving a transport bus along Georgia State Route 16 between Eatonton and Sparta in Putnam County at around 6:45 a.m. today, about 80 miles southeast of Atlanta, according to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.

One corrections officer had been driving the large bus and the second officer was sitting up front, according to officials.

The prisoners breached a protective gate on the bus to reach the officers, before disarming and killing them both, the sheriff's office said.

The Sheriff's office identified the escaped inmates as Donnie Russell Rowe of middle Tennessee and Ricky Dubose of Madison County, Georgia, who they said were prisoners at Baldwin State Prison.

It is unclear at this time whether specifically Rowe or Dubose shot and killed the two correctional officers.

Thirty-one other inmates were on board the bus, which was heading to a diagnostic facility at the time the escape took place, and have provided assistance to investigators, officials said.

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills, appearing emotional at a news conference this afternoon, described the inmates as "dangerous beyond description."

"I saw two brutally murdered corrections officers," Sills said. "I have their blood on my shoes."

Following the incident on the bus, Rowe and Dubose, armed with the officers’ .40 caliber Glock pistols, allegedly carjacked a Honda Civic from a resident who was driving by, and then fled west toward Eatonton, the sheriff's office said.

Later this afternoon, the escaped prisoners are suspected to have commit a residential burglary, according to the Sheriff's office.

The incident took place at around 2pm, they said, and the house where the alleged burglary took place was ransacked, with food and clothing taken from the premises.

The Sheriff's office said this afternoon that authorities don't know what the prisoners are wearing, and believe that they have most likely shed their prison uniforms.

Rowe is serving life without parole for armed robbery, the department of corrections said, and Dubose is serving a 20-year sentence for armed robbery.

The slain Baldwin State Prison officers were Christopher Monica, 42, who was hired in 2009, and Curtis Billue, 58, who was hired in 2007, Georgia Corrections said. Officials said their families are "distraught."

"Both officers were known for their unwavering commitment to their job and their love of family," the Georgia Department of Corrections said in a statement.

Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Gregory Dozier said, “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of two of our officers, who are our family, and our priority is to locate these fugitives and bring them to justice for this heinous act against those working to protect the public.”

Dubose is described as a white man with blue eyes and brown hair, standing at 6 feet 1 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds.

Rowe is described as a white man with blue eyes and brown hair, standing at 6 feet 1 inches tall and weighing 181 pounds.

The stolen car is described as a green 2004 Honda Civic with Georgia license plate RBJ6601.</s>GEORGIA (CNN) — A manhunt is underway for two prisoners after one of them shot and killed two corrections officers transporting them on a bus Tuesday morning in central Georgia, authorities said.

Baldwin State Prison inmates Donnie Russell Rowe and Ricky Dubose overpowered and disarmed the officers before one of the prisoners shot and killed both guards around 5:45 a.m. on State Route 16 between Eatonton and Sparta, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said.

Rowe, 43, and Dubose, 24, then carjacked a green 2004 four-door Honda Civic with Georgia license plate RBJ6601 and drove west toward Eatonton. Both are believed to be armed with the officers’ Glock pistols, the sheriff’s office said.

The slain officers were Christopher Monica and Curtis Billue, both of whom worked at Baldwin State Prison in nearby Milledgeville, the Georgia Department of Corrections said.

The department didn’t say which inmate is accused of firing the shots.

The corrections officers were transporting prisoners during a work detail, Putnam Sheriff Howard Sills told CNN affiliate WSB-TV in Atlanta.

Rowe was serving a sentence of up to life in prison for convictions of armed robbery and aggravated assault in a 2001 case, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections website.

Dubose was sentenced up to 20 years in prison after convictions for armed robbery, aggravated assault and theft in 2014, the website shows. He also was convicted of theft and identity fraud in cases from August 2010.

Eatonton, Putnam County’s seat of government, is about 65 miles southeast of Atlanta.</s>According to a news release from the Georgia Department of Corrections, on Tuesday, in the Putnam County area, two correctional officers were killed and two inmates escaped from custody.

Officials identified the slain officers as Christopher Monica and Curtis Billue. Both officers worked at Baldwin State Prison, according to the GDC.

The two inmates at large are Donnie Russell Rowe, white male 6'1, 181 pounds, blue eyes, brown hair, and Ricky Dubose, white male 6'1, 140 pounds, blue eyes, brown hair. Rowe also goes by the nickname “Whiskey,” according to the GDC inmate database.

The prisoners “overpowered and disarmed the officers before one of the prisoners shot and killed both guards around 5:45 a.m. on State Route 16 between Eatonton and Sparta,” according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

The escapees may be in a stolen “grass green” 2004 four-door Honda Civic, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The Georgia tag number is RBJ-6601.

For more information on the inmates, visit http://bit.ly/2sxae1d. The GDC plans to provide more details as they become available.

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees.

For more information on the GDC, call (478) 992-5248 or visit www.gdc.ga.gov.</s>A manhunt is underway for two prisoners after one of them shot and killed two corrections officers transporting them on a bus Tuesday morning in central Georgia, authorities said.

Prison inmates Donnie Russell Rowe and Ricky Dubose overpowered and disarmed the officers before one of the prisoners shot and killed both guards around 5:45 a.m. on State Route 16 between Eatonton and Sparta, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said.

Rowe, 43, and Dubose, 24, then carjacked a green 2004 four-door Honda Civic and drove west toward Eatonton, the sheriff's office said.

The department didn't say which inmate is accused of firing the shots.

Both Rowe and Dubose are inmates at Baldwin State Prison in nearby Milledgeville. Rowe was sentenced up to life in prison for convictions of armed robbery and aggravated assault in a 2001 case, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections website Dubose was sentenced up to 20 years in prison after convictions for armed robbery, aggravated assault and theft in 2014, the website shows. He also was convicted of theft and identity fraud in cases from August 2010. Eatonton, Putnam County's seat of government, is about 65 miles southeast of Atlanta.</s>(CNN) -- Two prisoners involved in the fatal shootings of two corrections officers on a bus Tuesday morning in central Georgia apparently have ditched their prison uniforms for stolen clothes.

An expanding manhunt is underway for Donnie Russell Rowe, 43, and Ricky Dubose, 24.

They were on a state corrections bus with 31 other inmates about 6:45 a.m. when the pair somehow got out of what should have been a locked, gated rear section of the bus, officials said.

Rowe and Dubose entered the driver's compartment and overpowered and disarmed Officers Christopher Monica and Curtis Billue while the bus was on State Route 16 between Eatonton and Sparta, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said.

At least one of the prisoners shot and killed Monica and Billue, Sills said. They may be armed with the officers' Glock pistols.

Investigators will analyze footage from video cameras on the bus to determine how they got free and who pulled the trigger, the sheriff said. But as long as the suspects are missing, he called the matter of who opened fire "immaterial" for now.

"They are dangerous beyond description," Sills told reporters Tuesday. "They need to surrender before we find them."

Sills said later the duo had ransacked a random house, took some food and may have stolen some clothes.

The sheriff said there was no reason to believe the two have split.

'I have their blood on my shoes'

Rowe and Dubose carjacked an approaching green 2004 four-door Honda Civic with Georgia license plate RBJ6601. After forcing the driver out, the two drove west toward Eatonton, Sills said. Dubose had a prior arrest in the area but no family connections, the sheriff said.

Monica, 42, and Billue, 58, were transporting the inmates from Hancock State Prison, in adjacent Hancock County, to the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison, some 45 miles west of Eatonton, Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Greg Dozier said.

Rowe and Dubose most recently were inmates at Baldwin State Prison in nearby Milledgeville, the corrections department said. It wasn't immediately clear why or for how long they were at the Hancock prison, or why they were being taken to the diagnostic prison.

The other prisoners were still on the bus, with doors closed, when authorities arrived at the scene, he said.

The sheriff was emotional as he recounted what he saw when he arrived on the scene.

"I saw two brutally murdered corrections officers; that's what I saw," Sill said. "I have their blood on my shoes."

Gov. Nathan Deal said the state will use all available resources to track the fugitives down.

"Today, two families lost everything in a heinous and senseless act of violence perpetrated at the hands of cowards," Deal said. "Our heartbreak is matched only in our resolve to bring their murderers to justice."

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has raised the reward to $70,000 from $60,000, according to their verified Twitter account.

The sheriff of Oconee County, whose jurisdiction is north of where the killings occurred, wrote a post on Facebook to the escaped convicts.

"Donnie and Ricky, I hope you are reading this. What is done is done. However, I am asking you to surrender yourselves to the nearest law enforcement officer as soon as possible. You made your escape, but you won't be out long. ... There is no one you can trust ... and nowhere you can go that we won't find you," the sheriff wrote.

Bus was going from one prison to another

It is standard protocol to have two officers -- armed but not wearing ballistic vests -- transport prisoners on a bus, said Dozier with GDOC.

Monica, a sergeant, worked for the department for almost eight years and leaves a wife. Billue, a 10-year employee, is survived by a father, a brother and a sister, Dozier said.

Rowe, who is 6 feet 1 inches tall and 181 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair, was serving a sentence of up to life in prison for armed robbery and aggravated assault in a 2001 case, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections website.

Dubose, 6 feet 1 inches tall and 140 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair, was sentenced up to 20 years in prison for armed robbery, aggravated assault and theft in 2014, the website shows. He also was convicted of theft and identity fraud in cases from August 2010.

The other prisoners on the bus were taken to the sheriff's office where about 3 p.m. some of them were put on another corrections department bus. Two guards with long guns watched as the prisoners, wearing cuffs on their ankles and wrists, shuffled toward the transport.

Eatonton, Putnam County's seat of government, is about 65 miles southeast of Atlanta.</s>Two prison guards killed by inmates during transport in Georgia

EATONTON, Ga. (WCTV) – Authorities are looking for two escaped inmates they say killed two prison guards during a bus transport in Georgia.

The Georgia Department of Corrections has identified the inmates as 43-year-old Donnie Russell Rowe and 24-year-old Ricky Dubose.

Putnam County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Teresa Slade says the incident occurred about 7:23 a.m. Tuesday, southeast of Atlanta.

The FBI says the inmates were last seen getting into a “grass green,” four-door 2004 Honda Civic with the Georgia license plate number RBJ-6601.

Officials are urging people not to approach the men and to call 911 if they spot the pair.

The names of the slain prison guards have not yet been released.

This is a developing story and we will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.</s>Prison guards killed by inmates during transport in Georgia

EATONTON - Authorities may have no shortage of witnesses to the killing of two guards on a prison bus in Georgia.

The Putnam County Sheriff's office says about 30 other inmates were on the transport bus when two inmates overpowered the guards, and one of the inmates then fatally shot them.

Authorities aren't saying which of the escaped inmates did the killing.

Authorities are searching for 43-year-old Donnie Russell Rowe and 24-year-old Ricky Dubose, who were seen fleeing in a car-jacked "grass green," four-door Honda Civic.

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said it happened at about 5:45 a.m. on state Highway 16 between Eatonton and Sparta, southeast of Atlanta.
Two Baldwin State Prison inmates, Donnie Russell Rowe and Ricky Dubose, escape from a prisoner transport vehicle on Georgia State Route 16 after overpowering and killing two police officers. The prisoners then carjacked a passing Honda Civic and fled towards Eatonton, Georgia, according to officials.