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Two inmates escaped a North Carolina prison Monday, but were caught hours later, officials said.

Craig Guess Jr., 39, and Arlo Swink Jr., 38, escaped from the Robeson Confinement in Response to Violation Center in Lumberton shortly before 3 p.m. and were found nearby on foot three hours later, the Department of Public Safety said in a news release Tuesday. Officials are investigating how they escaped.

Guess and Swink were serving 90-day periods of confinement for violations of their post-release supervision, officials said. Guess was convicted of attempting to obtain property under false pretenses in 2019 and Swink was convicted of a drug offense in 2021. The men were sent to a higher custody level facility and will be charged with felony escape, officials said.

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