Authorities say they’ve charged three people with helping a Carter County inmate, who escaped from prison and was later caught last week. Randy Hicks spent more than 12 hours on the loose after his escape Friday from the Northeast Correctional Complex before being captured in Athens later that day. Tennessee Department of Corrections officials say Hicks’ sister-in-law Carolyn Hicks, her daughter Tabitha Ferguson and friend James Franks have been charged with aiding and abetting, obstruction of justice, providing implements for escape and
criminal conspiracy. Hicks was charged with first-degree murder prior to his escape. He was taken into custody without incident. Additional charges are likely. The prison’s warden says Hicks is serving time for facilitation to murder, robbery and other charges