Monroe County deputies chased and arrested a man Tuesday morning who turned out to be a Georgia prison escapee, officials said.

Talawrence Vickers, who was serving a 10-year sentence for robbery at Smith Transitional Center in Claxton, did not stop when deputies attempted to detain him for speeding on I-75 South about 12:20 a.m., according to a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Authorities said Vickers continued to speed and exited the interstate onto Ga. 42 toward Forsyth, then stopped in a Walmart parking lot. He got out of the Chevrolet Equinox and ran into the woods, where deputies and Forsyth police officers arrested him.

He faces new charges of felony fleeing/attempt to elude, possession of marijuana less than 1 ounce, possession of drug-related objects, obstruction of an officer for fleeing on foot, giving false name and date of birth to law enforcement, speeding, reckless driving and driving with a suspended license.

He remains in the Monroe County jail.

The robbery conviction was in Fulton County in 2010. He could have been released later this year.

In other news:

About the Author

Keep Reading

Atlanta civil rights leader and international human rights activist Joe Beasley, pictured in 2011, died Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, at age 88. (Curtis Compton/AJC 2011 )

Credit: ccompton@ajc.com

Featured

A migrant farmworker harvests Vidalia onions at a farm in Collins, in 2011. A coalition of farmworkers, including one based in Georgia, filed suit last month in federal court arguing that cuts to H-2A wages will trigger a cut in the pay and standard of living of U.S. agricultural workers. (Bita Honarvar/AJC)

Credit: Bita Honarvar