After a search throughout Monday, state and local law enforcement say they’ve caught an inmate who had escaped the Orange Correctional Center in Hillsborough.

A release from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction on Tuesday said offender William Cooper was taken into custody around 7:25 a.m. on Tuesday. Authorities captured him near Cross Roads Baptist Church on Orange Grove Road — more than three miles southwest from the minimum-security facility in Hillsborough. The state department said a Prisons Emergency Response Team took Cooper into custody, while the county sheriff’s office confirmed that its deputies assisted.

The Department of Adult Correction initially shared with the public Monday afternoon that Cooper was not present during the morning count of inmates around 6 a.m. The 36-year-old inmate was serving a three-year sentence for a larceny conviction in Alamance County from January and was set to be released on December 17, 2024.

William Cooper, 36. (Photo via the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.)

A route along roads between Orange Correctional Center and Cross Roads Baptist Church along Orange Grove Road. State authorities said William Cooper was captured in the area of the church. (Photo via Google Maps.)

After his capture, state authorities said Cooper will be charged with escape and moved to a higher-custody facility.

Additionally, the Department of Adult Correction said a female suspect was arrested on Tuesday and charged in Orange County with aiding and abetting Cooper’s escape. Katie Stitler was arrested by the Alamance Sheriff’s Office on Monday and transported to Orange County, according to the local sheriff’s office. Stitler’s bond in Orange County is $500 and she is set to make a first appearance in court at 1 p.m. on the charge.

Katie Stitler, 42. (Photo via the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.)

The state department and local law enforcement are continuing to investigate the incident, according to the release.

In it’s update on Tuesday, Adult Correction thanked the Orange and Alamance county sheriff’s offices for their assistance in searching for and capturing Cooper.

Editor’s Note: An earlier release from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction said Cooper was 46 years old. That has since been updated to 36 years old and is reflected in this article.

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