Escapee, Kidnapper Will Spend Life in Prison

The man who escaped a Georgia state prison near Trion last year that eventually led to guards being fired will not be able to finish his sentence as long as he lives.

The Chattooga County Superior Clerk's office says a Jury trial for Johnny Mack Brown ended yesterday after beginning on Monday.  He was found guilty on three of the four counts against him, including kidnapping.

Judge Christina Cook Graham sentenced him to spend the rest of his natural life without parole on that charge alone.

He was sentenced to five years on the escape charge and 20 years on the burglary charge.

Back in November, the U.S. Marshals got involved in the search for Brown after he escaped Hays State Prison in October.

Brown, originally from Elberton, was serving life in prison, plus 70 years for shooting a guard three times during an armored car robbery in 1997.   The heist occurred in Athens.
     Authorities said Brown and another inmate escaped from Hays State Prison.

 Brown then kidnapped a woman and forced her to drive him to a house near Athens.

Six employees of Hays State state prison were fired in February 2009 after the escapes in October.  A spokeswoman for the Corrections Department said they terminated five corrections officers and one lieutenant.