Escape Artist Serving 20 Years In Alabama Gets Away While Being Taken From Marion County To Moccasin Bend

  • Saturday, June 25, 2022
Johnny Lewis Payne
Johnny Lewis Payne

An Alabama man who has escaped multiple times from authorities got away again while being taken from the Marion County Jail to Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute in Chattanooga.

The TBI said a reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of 48-year-old Johnny Lewis Payne.

The TBI said, "Payne should be considered armed and dangerous. He has been added to the TBI's Most Wanted List."

He was being taken to Moccasin Bend under court order after he threatened to harm himself, it was stated.

Payne on June 2 had escaped from a jail in Coffee County, Ala. He was serving a 20-year sentence for receiving stolen property on a conviction out of Jackson County, Ala., in 2012.

While on the loose, he picked up new charges of carjacking and receiving stolen property after he stole a city truck in Elba, Ala., and drove it to Talladega.

The truck is still missing.

Authorities said he then stole a water truck from a construction site at Talladega and drove it to Marion County. He was captured there without incident.

He is described as a white male, 5’9", 170 pounds with blue eyes.

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