Tenn. prison escapee wanted to see his sick mama

TOCCOA - The Tennessee prison escape who was captured in northeast Georgia Sunday night driving a stolen car says he was trying to get to his sick mama -- and he didn't give up without a fight, contrary to earlier reports.

A spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Corrections said Monday that Stephen Allen Hester of Hartwell was picked up without incident near his hometown.

Now, the sheriff of Stephens County, Georgia, says he was arrested in Franklin County after a high-speed chase during which all four tires on his car were flattened by spike strips.

"A high speed chase ensued down Highway 17 reaching speeds of around 90 miles per hour," said Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley.

Running on the rims, he said Hester was finally forced to stop by pursuing patrol cars that boxed him in on Georgia Highway 59 in Lavonia.

Shirley said Hester told a woman he briefly kidnapped in Tennessee while making his escape he was trying to get home to see his mother who has cancer.