2 Inmates Escape from Ohio Prison by Hiding in a Dumpster

Bradley Gillespie, James Lee.Photo:Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction via AP

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction via AP

A pair of inmates from Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution in Ohio escaped after hiding in a dumpster, and police say they are still on the lookout for one of the two men.

The department first shared news of their escape following the warden’sprisoner counts on Tuesday,when it was discovered the men were missing.

“Law enforcement attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle in the 2200 block of US Hwy 41 North. The vehicle immediately fled from officers,” Henderson Police shared on Facebook.

After a “short” pursuit, both men fled on foot and Lee, who was driving, was apprehended. Gillespie was not, and his shoe was located two streets away, police revealed.

Police have since been working to find Gillespie with a “large amount of manpower from several law enforcement agencies, police K9s, water vessels, helicopters, and drones.” The area has a “heavy police presence,” per authorities, as they continue to “canvass neighborhoods and follow leads.”

“Hey dad, if you’re hearing this, I’d prefer you turn yourself in before something bad happens,” she said. “I want you in my life, I want you at my wedding. I don’t want anything bad to happen. So if you could please just turn yourself in before anybody gets hurt, I would appreciate it. We want you safe. We want you back. We want nothing bad to happen.”

“We’ve been going around the clock,” Henderson Police Chief Sean McKinney told NBC, adding that he believes the prisoner was injured during his escape.

He added that Gillespie was seen with a pronounced limp in a video from a Home Depot parking lot in Evansville, Indiana hours before the pursuit in Henderson. Gillespie’s status is listed as “escaped” on the corrections department’soffender searchas of Saturday. In 2016, he was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to a pair of consecutive 15-to-life sentences.

In a press briefing Friday, Police Chief Sean McKinney estimated that authorities had used 1,600 man-hours in the search for Gillespie.

“It is Memorial Day weekend, and I want the citizens of Henderson to enjoy the holiday and have fun,” McKinney said. “I just want them to be safe and be vigilant… I would just say, if you’re on the river, and you see something out of place, give us a call. But absolutely, we will have a presence more so than we normally would.”

source: people.com