Vienna police arrest man who escaped from prison | News, Sports, Jobs

Gregory Dale Stewart

VIENNA – A Raleigh County man accused of escaping from custody while attending a church service in Parkersburg was arrested Friday afternoon in Vienna.

Gregory Dale Stewart, 61, was an inmate at the Parkersburg Correctional Center serving a 10- to 20-year sentence for two counts of burglary. He was given a pass to attend Cross Church on Market Street and was last seen there at 11:55 a.m. on June 30.

According to Sergeant JL Bradley of the Vienna Police Department, Patrolman SM Sheaves was on duty at the Grand Central Mall around 2:11 p.m. Friday when he spotted a man he believed to be Stewart on the train tracks behind the mall. The man entered a wooded area under the jurisdiction of the Wood County Sheriff’s Office.

While Vienna police and sheriff’s deputies were conducting a search, police received a tip that a person matching Stewart’s description had come out of the woods near Walmart and crossed Grand Central Avenue, Bradley said.

Vienna Police Patrol Officer DP Pelfrey found Stewart in an alley between the 1300 block of 9th and 10th streets and arrested him without incident, Bradley said.

Stewart, who authorities said earlier this week was not considered dangerous, is charged with escape from custody and is scheduled to be arraigned Friday evening, Bradley said.

Evan Bevins can be reached at [email protected].