Lee prison to get inmate who escaped Charleston

An inmate who escaped from a minimum-security Charleston prison will now be incarcerated at the maximum-security Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, according to the state Department of Corrections.

Vernon Gardner, 42, surrendered to Corrections Department investigators in Lumberton, N.C., about 5 p.m. Tuesday, the department said in a news release.

Gardner walked away from the Coastal Pre-Release Center on Monday, the department said. He faces a felony escape charge, which carries up to 15 years in prison.

He started serving a 7-1/2 year sentence in August for violating the state's chop shop law. He was convicted in Lexington County.