CLERMONT, Fla. -- The escaped inmate from Lake County is now in custody in the Orange County Jail, says the Department of Corrections. 

According to DOC officials, 34-year-old Alinton H. John was taken into custody around 9:15 p.m. Friday.

No further details have been released at this time.

Authorities had been searching for John since Thursday, who escaped during his outside grounds-work assignment with the Lake Correctional Institution off of U.S. 27 in Clermont.  

However, on early Friday morning, the Lake County Sheriff's Office stated that it has stopped its search for John.

"Our search was discontinued yesterday late afternoon (Thursday) as we received information he was no longer in Lake County. He is from Orange County, so it's possible he went back that way. The Department of Corrections Inspector General's Office is the lead investigative agency at this point," Sgt. John Vachon stated in an email to Spectrum News 13.

The Florida Department of Corrections said John was working on the facility's motor pool when he walked away without permission. He walked about a mile from here -- in broad daylight—and stole a pickup truck.   

John was serving a 15-year prison sentence for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. The Department of Corrections stated he is a minimum custody inmate and that is why he was allowed to work outside. 

Investigators said they believed John stole a silver Toyota pickup with Florida tag JHWC97 from Alex McCaffrey's dad.   

"He turned around, he was out in the field, I think doing some work, and when he came back, his truck was gone. There was a little piece of something on the ground, that came out of the truck and he followed the tracks and it looks like it went to the road and just drove away," Alex McCaffrey explained.

Alinton H. John's father speaks

Spectrum News 13 spoke to John's father John Gladstone, who said his son did not reach out to him when he escaped. 

He pleaded with his son to turn himself into authorities.

"You don't put your hands behind your waist. You don't put your hands in your pocket. You don't do anything stupid. You put your hands up and give up yourself," Gladstone said. 

Gladstone says his son is smart, a talented mechanic, and kind.

However, in 2008 John was dating two women at the same time. He was accused of attacking one of the women, hitting her on the head with a gun. He was then convicted, and has now served about 10 of his 15-year sentence. 

His father alleges John fled because the other girlfriend, who stuck by him after his arrest, broke it off with him.

"She (told) him she don't want him ... Love is a funny thing, you know?" Gladstone said. ​

Reporter Bailey Myers contributed to this story.