Bradley Gillespie, left, and James Lee, right.
Photo courtesy of Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
LIMA — One of the two inmates who had escaped from the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution has been recaptured in Kentucky, while the other eluded capture in Kentucky and remains at large, with local law enforcement aiding in the search.
James Lee, 47, was captured after a traffic stop led to a vehicle chase and subsequent foot chase in Henderson, Kentucky, according to a Facebook post created at 5:19 a.m. Thursday by the Henderson Police Department. Henderson is located along the Ohio River in western Kentucky near Evansville, Indiana, approximately 226 miles southwest of Cincinnati.
Officers saw a stolen vehicle believed to be occupied by Lee and fellow escaped inmate Bradley Gillespie, 50. According to the post, the officers attempted to pull the vehicle over for a traffic stop when the two attempted to flee in the vehicle, which led to a pursuit that ended with the vehicle crashing on Camaro Drive in Henderson.
Lee and Gillespie then fled on foot, with Lee apprehended by Henderson Police. Gillespie was able to elude capture and has not yet been apprehended, according to the Facebook post. Police set up a perimeter in the area of the crash and are continuing to search for Gillespie.
In an early morning press conference streamed on Facebook, Allen County Sheriff Matt Treglia confirmed the capture of Lee and expressed confidence that Gillespie will also end up back in police custody.
“They have one in custody and they’re looking for the other one,” he said. “I believe they’ll have him in custody shortly and we will be putting that out.”
Treglia had considered a recommendation to shut down the schools in the county out of precaution early Wednesday, but the news out of Kentucky made that unnecessary.
“It’s not up to me to close the schools, but I was going to make a strong recommendation that that happen today, and now that’s not taking place,” he said.
A joint release sent at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Allen County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshal Service and the Henderson Police Department said that agencies from both Ohio and Kentucky are working together to locate Gillespie. The Ohio State Highway Patrol has dispatched troopers from its aviation unit to aid in the search from the air and the Patrol’s Special Response Team is aiding in the search on the ground under the authority of U.S. Marshals, according to the release. The OSHP Office of Investigative Services is also aiding in the investigation.
“The apprehension of the Gillespie remains the focus of all involved,” the statement read.
Lee and Gillespie’s escape had been discovered by officials at Allen-Oakwood during a prisoner count at 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to a release sent late Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and the Ohio State Highway Patrol. As the investigation continued into the pair’s disappearance, officials determined that they had last been seen on surveillance video inside the prison at 8:41 a.m. Monday.
ODRC officials are conducting an internal investigation into the escape, according to the Tuesday release.
A reward of up to $21,000 has been made available for information that leads to Gillespie’s capture. Anyone with information is asked to call the Highway Patrol Findlay post at 419-423-1414 or the U.S. Marshal Service at 1-866-4WANTED (492-6833).
Anyone encountering Gillespie is advised to not approach him and call 9-1-1 immediately.
