Inmate Caught Bartering For NASCAR Tickets

An Alabama fugitive was caught after authorities said he traded a gun in Hampton for tickets to the NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Fugitive Caught Bartering for NASCAR Tickets

Micheal Lynn Sherer, 51, escaped the Winston County Jail, where he was being held pending trial on charges of slaying a man at his home, according to the Walker County Sheriff’s Office in Jasper, Ala.

Sherer entered the home of 52-year-old Thomas Lynn Smith and shot him to death on Aug. 24, said Walker County Chief Deputy James Painter. He was charged with murder and escaping the Winston County Jail.

Hampton police officer Eric Hayes said he became aware of suspicious activity by Sherer on Wednesday, after speaking with vendors who were preparing for Sunday’s Emory Healthcare 500 Race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Vendors flagged the officer down and said a man with no ID was walking around trying to sell a .22 caliber pistol, he said. Sherer managed to trade the gun for two tickets to the race before Hayes spotted him.

“As soon as I pulled out onto Highway 19/41, I saw him walking back toward the Waffle House," Hayes said.

Hayes said when he approached Sherer, who identified himself using the homicide victim’s name, he could tell something was wrong.

“[Sherer] kept stumbling with a date of birth, so just from our experience and training, we knew something was going on," said Hayes. "It was pretty obvious.”

Sherer finally admitted his real name to Hampton police and they said he was arrested on outstanding warrants related to the death of Smith, and escaping the Alabama jail.

Officers also found a van they said he stole before the killing at the Country Hearth Inn in Hampton. They said they are still looking for the gun, which they said Sherer allegedly stole from the homicide victim.

Sherer was originally booked at Henry County Jail, but Alabama authorities arrived to pick him up on Thursday afternoon. A hearing will soon be held to extradite Sherer back to his home state, according to Hampton Police Sgt. Rusty Barnes.