Four inmates escaped in Ross County from the county jail and all four have been apprehended.
It happened at around 8:45 p.m. on Friday.
Deputies, officers, and troopers were scouring downtown Chillicothe and Yocktangee Park for the inmates. Law enforcement officers from as far as Scioto County joined in the search.
One inmate was caught in Yocktangee Park in Chillicothe, another is believed to have turned themselves in; a third inmate’s apprehension was not immediately known, and the fourth inmate was caught a little over an hour after the escape on route 772 near Patton Hill Road.
The escape was done like a scene out of a Hollywood movie. The four men reportedly created a giant hole in the side of the jail’s building, which is made of concrete cinder blocks with brick and used bedsheets to make a ladder to scale down the third floor.
The escape is very similar to that of convicted cop killer John Parsons; Parsons killed Chillicothe Police Officer Larry Cox in 2006. While being held in the county jail Parsons used jolly rancher candies, newspaper, toilet paper, and toothpaste to tunnel out of the jail’s wall. When that method failed he scaled a wall with a homemade ladder. He was on the run for more than four months before he was caught in the woods in Ross County.
The Ross County Sheriff’s office released a statement online about Friday night’s escape:
“At approximately 9:00 p.m. (Friday) four inmates escaped from the Ross County Jail,” the statement reads. “As of 10:10 p.m. (Friday), all four inmates have been recaptured. The investigation into this incident is ongoing….”
The inmates’ names have not been released.
The Ross County Jail has been plagued with issues in the last year, including the death of numerous inmates, as well as other escapes that occurred. Ross County Sheriff George Lavender ran unopposed in the 2020 election and received more than 18,000 votes.
When first running for Sheriff more than ten years ago Lavender promised a restructuring of the jail.
“I promised to restructure the focus and the workforce of your Sheriff’s Office,” he said at the time. “Towards this new beginning, I am starting with new Division Mottos and new Mission Statements. I believe with this new clarity and purpose the Corrections will be working to meet your expectations.”
Scioto County Daily News contributed to this report.
