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VIENNA -- A Raleigh County man accused of absconding from custody while attending a church service in Parkersburg was apprehended Friday afternoon in Vienna.
Gregory Dale Stewart, 61, was an inmate at the Parkersburg Correctional Center, serving a sentence of 10-20 years on two counts of breaking and entering. He received a pass to attend the Cross Church on Market Street and was last seen there at 11:55 a.m. June 30.
According to Vienna Police Department Sgt. J.L. Bradley, Patrolman S.M. Sheaves was patrolling at the Grand Central Mall around 2:11 p.m. Friday when he spotted a man he believed to be Stewart on the train tracks behind the mall. The man went into a wooded area, which is the jurisdiction of the Wood County Sheriff's Office.
As Vienna Police and sheriff's deputies conducted a search, police received a tip that a subject matching Stewart's description had emerged from the woodline near Walmart and crossed Grand Central Avenue, Bradley said.
Vienna Police Patrolman D.P. Pelfrey found Stewart in an alley between the 1300 blocks of Ninth and 10th streets and arrested him without incident, Bradley said.
Stewart, who officials said earlier this week was not considered dangerous, faces a felony charge of escaping from custody. He was set to be arraigned Friday night, Bradley said.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.