UPDATE: Billy Lee Smith has been apprehended in Buncombe County. Following the escape, the investigation revealed Smith forced his way into the home of a female in Marion, abducted her and forced her to take him to Asheville. He later released the female and fled into a wooded area in Asheville where he was subsequently arrested. The investigation is still ongoing. More information will be released at a later time.
Assisting the Sheriff’s Office and Marion Police Department in the investigation were McDowell Emergency Management, US Marshal Service, Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, Asheville Police Department, NC DMV License and Theft Bureau, NC State Highway Patrol, Rescue Squad, NC Department of Adult Corrections and NC State Bureau of Investigation.
ORIGINAL: Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies are searching for Billy Lee Smith who walked away from a worksite at Marion Correctional Institution on 2/7/24. Billy Smith is a low level offender who is from the Rutherford Correctional Facility and was assigned to MCI as a work release inmate. Billy Smith is a white male, 5 foot 6 inches tall, 200 lbs. last seen wearing green pants, green jacket with a white thermal top. He was last seen in a field near the Dept. of Corrections located off Old Glenwood Rd. in Marion.
