Augustus Hines Sears was born in Carthage, North Carolina, on February 13, 1894. Prior to engaging in criminal business, Sears served four years in the navy and one year in the army. In May 1918, he was arrested for auto theft in Greensboro. The arrest came just about five weeks after his marriage to Ida Rebecca Clapp. Sears was found guilty and sentenced to a term of four years in the state prison. On July 20, 1918, he and another inmate broke out of the jail at Greensboro and went on the run, managing to evade capture until September. Following his arrest, he was remanded to the state prison farm in Halifax County. While there, he was a witness to a case of brutality that compelled him and three other inmates to smuggle a letter out to a prison reformer named Earl E. Dudding. Dudding contacted the governor's office, and the incident hit the frontpages of state newspapers, bringing much embarrassment to the prison board and superintendent, James R. Collie. Sears stood by the allegations during sworn testimony. Upon completing his sentence, Sears moved to Georgia, started a new life for himself, and died there on November 13, 1968.