Tennessee prison employee killed; inmate escapes

RIPLEY, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities in Tennessee are searching for an escaped inmate who is a person of interest in the recent homicide of a Department of Correction employee.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says 44-year-old Curtis Ray Watson escaped Wednesday from the West Tennessee State Penitentiary, about 60 miles outside of Memphis.

The TBI issued a "Blue Alert," which is used to inform the public of violent suspects who kill or seriously injure law enforcement officers in the line of duty.

Authorities say 64-year-old Debra Johnson, a correctional administrator, was killed on Wednesday. They didn't give further details.

Watson has been incarcerated since 2012 for an aggravated kidnapping conviction. Police said at the time that Watson knocked a woman over the head with an object and raped her multiple times.

TBI says Watson should be considered extremely dangerous.