Authorities in Tennessee, Kentucky look for escaped inmates

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Authorities searched Saturday for two Tennessee inmates who escaped prison, kidnapped a Kentucky highway department employee and stole a resident's truck, officials said.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Robert Brown and Christopher Osteen escaped Friday morning from Northwest Correctional Complex in Lake County, Tennessee. The state police agency said the inmates were considered armed and dangerous.

Brown is serving an 18-year sentence for aggravated rape and Osteen is serving an eight-year sentence for burglary, authorities said.

Later Friday, an employee of the highway department in Fulton County, Kentucky, was kidnapped from a boat ramp on the Mississippi River, the sheriff's office in Henry County, Tennessee, reported on its Facebook page.

The employee and his department truck were later found in Henry County, the sheriff's office said.

Early Saturday, deputies found a Henry County resident who had been tied up in his home by the inmates. The sheriff's office said inmates stole the resident's red 2009 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab pickup truck, which has not been found.

Law enforcement agencies were searching for the inmates on Saturday. The Kentucky State Police advised residents in the far western part of the state to check on their loved ones and report any suspicious activity after the inmates committed burglaries and thefts in the area.