2 armed Georgia inmates on the run after 2 prison guards killed

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia is reporting two corrections officers are dead after a prison bus was hijacked.

Two armed inmates have escaped and are considered very dangerous.

Putnam County, Georgia is located about 3.5 hours away from Beaufort County, between Atlanta, Augusta and Macon.

Authorities are looking for Ricky Dubose and Donnie Rowe.

Rowe is a white male in his 40s, who is 6 feet 1 inch tall, has brown hair and blue eyes and weighs about 180 pounds. He was serving time in Baldwin State Prison for an armed robbery in Bibb County, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections website.

Dubose is a white male, about 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing about 140 pounds. He was serving time at Baldwin State Prison for armed robbery in Elbert County.

The first call came in shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday as inmates apparently took control of a prison bus on Ga. 16 near Hancock County.

Baldwin County Sheriff Bill Massee is on the scene assisting, as are deputies from Hancock County.

“We’re trying to get this bus unloaded,” Massee said. “We have 32 inmates getting off the bus.”

The shooting happened between Eatonton and Sparta on Ga. 16. At last report, the inmates had commandeered another vehicle, possibly a Honda, and were headed toward Eatonton.

Georgia Department of Corrections spokeswoman Joan Heath could not provide additional details.

“Everything is happening as we speak,” she told The Telegraph by telephone.

Heath said they would release information as soon as concrete details are available.

This story was originally published June 13, 2017 at 9:47 AM with the headline "2 armed Georgia inmates on the run after 2 prison guards killed."