Deputies have arrested a man who escaped from authorities last Monday night, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office shared a photo on Facebook of the arrest of Eric Shane Stone on Friday. Stone, 49, from Sanford, faces charges of possession of methamphetamine, two counts of simple possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Stone is currently being held at the Harnett County Detention Center without bond for the Lee County charge of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official. Authorities took Stone before a magistrate in Harnett County, where he was given a total secured bond for felony probation violation in Lee County and habitual breaking and entering in Harnett County. According to the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office, deputies searched for Stone over several days in the area of South River Road and Joe Collins Road. Authorities recovered a backpack belonging to Stone. Lee County deputies initially attempted to arrest him on Monday night at his home on St. Andrews Church Road in Sanford, but he escaped during the arrest. He fled in a 2012 Audi, nearly hitting deputies in the process. Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats reported that deputies spotted Stone on Tuesday afternoon in Harnett County, where he fled from the car into the woods. Coats stated that deputies used night vision-capable drones, K-9 units, and a helicopter to search for him. Authorities also towed away the Audi that Stone initially used to escape.
