Raleigh County Prisoner Escapes in Shackles

A man in Releigh County escaped prison in shackles and handcuffs, and he’s still on the loose. He jumped out of a transport van and got into a residential garage where he stole a vehicle and took off. Fayette and Raleigh county deputies and West Virginia State Police are looking for 37-year old Paul Ira Hopkins of Smithers, who got out of the transport van as it slowed down to pass through the North Beckley Toll Plaza. Hopkins was able to open the door of the van, jump over the guardrail and flee on foot, according to a news release from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office. Hopkins had just been sentenced to six months in the Southern Regional Jail, to be followed by a one-year sentence to the Fayette County Community Corrections Program for the misdemeanor crimes of petit larceny and fleeing. Call 911 if you see him.