(WGHP) — The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service are now offering a combined $70,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of an escaped prisoner accused of killing a North Carolina sheriff’s deputy.
Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo, 26, escaped from Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, Virginia, in the early morning hours of Sunday, according to the FBI. Surveillance footage showed the suspect climbing a fence to escape custody.
Agents say that Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo has ties to North Carolina and Mexico and could be driving an early 2000 red/burgundy Ford Mustang with a 30-day North Carolina temporary tag. A federal warrant was issued for his arrest on Monday for escaping from custody.
Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo is described as a Hispanic man, standing 5-feet-6-inches tall, weighing 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
He was in custody after being charged with first-degree murder in connection to the August 2022 shooting death of Wake County deputy Ned Byrd.
The FBI initially offered a $50,000 reward for information on Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo. The U.S. Marshals Service added the additional $20,000 on Wednesday.
A woman, Adriana Marin-Sotelo, has been charged in connection with Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo’s escape.
According to a criminal complaint filed with the Middle District of North Carolina, between April 29 and May 1, Adriana Marin-Sotelo “committed the following federal offense: conspiracy to instigate or assist escape.”
Agents began reviewing phone calls that Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo and another suspected co-conspirator had made from the jail prior to the suspect’s escape.
According to the documents, on April 28, a co-conspirator, who has not been indicted, called their sibling, identified as “unindicted co-conspirator 2.”
During that phone call, the caller tells their sibling to “pick up the getaway car” in High Point. During a follow-up phone call later that day, the caller gave “co-conspirator 2” a phone number belonging to Adriana Marin-Sotelo, telling them to talk to her and arrange a pickup spot for the car and have it in place by midnight.
The next day, Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo allegedly called Adriana Marin-Sotelo and told her to get the car and $2,500 to co-conspirator 2, who was with her at the time of the call.
Co-conspirator 2 was seen on a video with the first caller that night, showing them that they were leaving the car, a red Mustang, in the parking lot of the jail. Then, early Sunday morning, Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo is allegedly seen climbing the fence and leaving in the red Mustang.
The first co-conspirator spoke with co-conspirator 2 later Sunday morning and they discussed not being able to get in touch with Adriana Marin-Sotelo for the additional $2,500 Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo had allegedly instructed her to pay them.
Investigators were told by co-conspirator 1 that Adriana Marin-Sotelo had bought the car for $3,000 and given it to co-conspirator 2 in order to leave it in the jail parking lot for Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo’s escape. Co-conspirator 2 told investigators that they met Adriana Marin-Sotelo at Palacious Automotive in High Point and got the car from her.
Adriana Marin-Sotelo was taken into custody in Guilford County.
