‘Extremely Dangerous’ Inmate Escapes Prison

Authorities on Tuesday described an escaped inmate from a maximum-security prison hospital as “extremely dangerous” and said they believed he had fled Tennessee with a guard who helped him get away.

The search for Edward McDaniel, 37, and guard Vickie Sanford, 51, spread beyond Tennessee to Illinois, Texas, Michigan and Arizona, where the pair are believed to have contacts, officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.

“He is extremely dangerous and we don’t know what he is capable of,” TBI spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson said.

A second guard was arrested Monday night -- 28-year-old Michael Moize, Sanford’s son-in-law. His family has declined to comment.

McDaniel was serving a 20-year sentence for attempted murder in the 1996 shooting of a law enforcement officer during a traffic stop. The officer was shot five times in the leg, which required amputation.

McDaniel and Sanford allegedly walked out of Nashville’s DeBerry Special Needs Facility over the weekend during a shift change and drove away in Sanford’s vehicle. Police believe Sanford gave McDaniel a corrections officer uniform before they left.

Authorities did not know the nature of Sanford’s relationship with the inmate and would not say why McDaniel was in the facility, which caters to prisoners who need medical care or mental health treatment.

On Monday, Sanford’s son James Craig pleaded for his mother to contact authorities.

McDaniel was last seen about 7:40 p.m. Saturday, when a corrections officer brought him medicine, officials said. Guards discovered him missing about 12 hours later during a routine check.

McDaniel’s prison-issued clothes had been placed in his bed, apparently to make it look like he was sleeping.

Sanford, who has worked at the prison off and on since 2002, didn’t show up for work Sunday after completing her Saturday night shift. She withdrew $2,000 from her bank account Saturday, officials said.