HYDE CO., N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction continues to search for an escaped inmate Friday.

What You Need To Know

  • Francisco Cardenas, 32, recently escaped Hyde Correctional Center in Swan Quarter

  • He was sentenced to 5 to 8 years after a drug conviction in Lee County 

  • Officials ask anyone with information to call local police

Francisco Cardenas, 32, escaped Hyde Correctional Center in Swan Quarter, according to state prison officials.

He was convicted in Lee County for drug trafficking and sentenced to 5 to 8 years, according to prison records. He was due for a 2029 release.

Cardenas is a 6-foot-1 Native American weighing 130 pounds, officials said. He has a star tattoo on his left hand.

Officials ask that the public call local law enforcement or Hyde Correctional Center at 252-926-1810.