Breaking: Pinellas deputies apprehend Sean Williams, an escaped convict out of Tennessee. He was apprehended shortly after 9 p.m. on Tuesday, November 21, 2023.
According to the FBI, Sean Christopher Williams, a 52-year-old convict from Tennessee, escaped from a prison transport van on October 18, 2023, while being transported from a Kentucky correctional facility to the U.S. District Courthouse in Greeneville, Tennessee. He kicked out the back window of the van to escape.
According to authorities, on November 17, 2023, Williams was reportedly seen near Sylva, North Carolina. Later, on November 20, 2023, deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office spotted him driving a vehicle stolen from Greeneville, Tennessee, in the area of Seminole Boulevard and 114th Avenue in Unincorporated Largo in Pinellas County, Florida.
At about 11:30 p.m. on Monday, November 20, 2023, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office located and impounded the vehicle. Williams was able to escape capture despite the use of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) helicopter and K-9s. Deputies spent the day canvassing the neighborhood and speaking with residents for any information that could lead to Williams’ location.
Williams has three tattoos, all on his left arm and hand. He has a Chinese symbol on his left middle finger, a cross within a cross on his left arm, and a lightning bolt on his upper left arm.
Williams is described as having brown hair, hazel eyes, a height of 5’11″, and weighing 170 lbs. He is wanted on numerous charges, including Rape of a Child, Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, and Aggravated Sexual Battery.
Shortly before 9 p.m. on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, Williams entered the 7-Eleven at 11505 Walsingham Road in Largo. This is near where he was seen during the early morning hours. Earlier in the day, a detective entered the store and showed an employee a photo of his distinctive tattoos. She immediately recognized the tattoos when he entered the store. Deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office converged on the store. Williams left the store and headed northbound near the Pinellas Trail. He was finally apprehended on Kerry Court in Largo about 1.5 miles away from the 7-Eleven.
Williams was transported to the Pinellas County Jail. He will be held for Federal agents and extradited to Tennessee.
