(UPDATE: In a follow-up to yesterday's news release, 31 year old Lewis Ray Stewart has been charged with one count of Attempt to Escape from Jail after attempting to escape from the Oconee County Detention Center through a vent in a bathroom.)
(Walhalla, SC)-------------------------------------An Oconee County man and woman, both wanted in the state of Georgia on Drug Trafficking and Possession of a Weapon during a Violent Crime charges, were arrested over the weekend by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.
26 year old Cassidy Diane Loper, of Walhalla, and 31 year old Lewis Ray Stewart, who has listed addresses in Walhalla and Westminster, were booked into the Oconee County Detention Center around 12:32pm and 5:02pm, respectively, on Saturday, June 17th.
Deputies from the Uniform Patrol Bureau conducted a warrant service this past Saturday morning at an address on Edna Drive near Westminster. After arriving on scene, the homeowner gave consent for the Deputies to enter the residence.
Both Loper and Stewart were located inside of the residence and were placed under arrest. The Deputies confirmed the arrest warrants through the state of Georgia and then transported Loper and Stewart to jail, where Fugitive from Justice arrest warrants were obtained against both Loper and Stewart.
A hold was placed on both Loper and Stewart by the Rabun County, GA Sheriff’s Office. At this time, both Loper and Stewart remain in jail pending extradition back to Rabun County.
Late this morning, Stewart attempted escape from the Oconee County Detention Center via a vent in a bathroom. Deputies established a perimeter around the Detention Center; however, Stewart was removed from the vent and never left the confines of the Detention Center.