Escaped trusty still loose

By By Erin Hilsabeck / staff writer
July 23, 2004
Lauderdale County Sheriff's deputies thought they had found the location Thursday of Cedric D. Smith, 28, a trusty who escaped Monday night from Hilltop House on Highway 39 North.
The sheriff's department received an anonymous telephone call saying Smith was in a neighboring state. With the help of the FBI Fugitive Task Force, deputies went to the location, but did not find Smith.
Deputies will continue to look for Smith, who was serving a five-year sentence for possession of cocaine.
Chief Deputy Mike Mitchell said Thursday the situation is getting to the point where it is getting harder to find Smith. The longer Smith is loose, Mitchell said, the more time he has to get farther away.
Smith escaped by slipping under a fence that surrounds the complex and jumped into a waiting car driven by an unidentified woman. Smith is described as 6 feet tall and about 225 pounds.
Mitchell said Smith only had about one year left of his sentence. Each day he remains at large, time is added to his sentence.
As of Thursday night, his sentence had increased to about 20 years, Mitchell said.
Mitchell said anyone with information about Smith's escape should call CrimeStoppers at 917-8888.