Two men were caught by police after fleeing their vehicle near where Stephen Maddren escaped from the Otago Corrections Facility last week.
Senior Constable Tom Taylor, of Balclutha, said police were in the area searching for Maddren early on Saturday morning when a ute was seen in the Milburn area.
After being stopped by police the pair fled the vehicle, and were later tracked by a police dog.
The driver, who had been disqualified from driving, refused to give a blood sample to police. A.308 rifle was found in the ute and the driver charged with illegal possession of a firearm.
The pair had no connection to Maddren.
