Officials: Convicted killer recaptured after escaping from LaGrange transitional center

A convicted murderer who escaped Wednesday from the Charles T. Hudson Transitional Center was recaptured Thursday afternoon, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Before the re-arrest, James Michael Beggett was last seen Wednesday leaving his residence at the Charles T. Hudson Transitional Center and heading to his job at the Stanford Automotive in LaGrange. Officials launched a statewide search for him after he failed to return to the center.

The GDC Apprehension Unit developed leads that led officials to Montgomery, Ala, where 65-year-old Beggett was re-arrested without incident around 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

In Chatham County Superior Court, Beggett was convicted in of the 1981 murder of Amos Hart. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole, according to the GDC's website.

Beggett had most recently been assigned to the Charles T. Hudson Transitional Center, while awaiting release on parole, and had been employed by Stanford Automotive since November 2015.

— Sarah is a crime & safety reporter at The Ledger-Enquirer. You can contact her on Twitter at @SarahR_92.

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 10:37 AM with the headline "Officials: Convicted killer recaptured after escaping from LaGrange transitional center."