Prosecutor doesn't want escapee in jail
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on April 26, 2005 1:51 PM
KENANSVILLE -- A man who escaped from a Duplin County prison 28 years ago has been captured in Texas and extradited back to North Carolina to serve out the remainder of his sentence.
But authorities say Raymond Scully could soon be released on parole and allowed to go back to his family.
Raymond Scully
Scully, 52, was convicted of possession of LSD and had already escaped from detention in Pen-der County when he escaped from the Duplin Cor-rectional Facility near Kenansville in June 1977.
He was stopped in late March for an expired registration sticker by police in Austin, Texas, and his name showed up on a list of fugitives. He did not fight extradition to North Carolina in early April.
At the time he escaped, Scully had served one year of an 8- to 10-year sentence.
District Attorney Dewey Hudson of Duplin County is recommending Scully be released.
Scully has lived an exemplary life since his escape, Hudson has told members of the state Parole Commission. Scully married, raised a daughter and has worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor. He has not been convicted of any crime during the past 28 years.
Scully is currently being held in the Pender County jail. Under the laws in effect at the time he was convicted, his case is one that qualifies for immediate parole if officials determine he has been rehabilitated.
Hudson has written the state Parole Commission, saying he does not oppose Scully's possible release.
"In reviewing all the circumstances of this case, I believe further prosecution of this case would serve no worthwhile purpose," Hudson said. "In this day and age with prison overcrowding, I did not feel risking a dangerous criminal being released to provide bed space for Mr. Scully would best serve the citizens of my district."
Hudson emphasized that he is making his decision regarding Scully based on the facts in the case and does not want his stance to be seen as encouraging other prisoners to escape, thinking they could avoid prosecution.