Bradley Gillespie, an inmate at Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution, has not been found as of Saturday morning.
Police in Ohio say they are still looking for one of two inmates who escaped from Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution after hiding in a dumpster.
The Henderson Police Department in Kentucky said on Saturday morning that it was “continuing our efforts” to find prisoner Bradley Gillespie, 50, after he and James Lee, 47, allegedly escaped by hiding in a dumpster and traveling to Kentucky.
A red 1991 Mercury Capri that “was believed to be occupied” the day before by Gillespie and Lee was found by the Henderson Police Department and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office early on Wednesday morning. According to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, the pair escaped prison “after hiding themselves in a Dumpster,” as reported by NBC News and numerous other publications.
When the men went missing on Tuesday after the warden’s prisoner counts, the department learned about their escape for the first time.
“Law enforcement tried to pull over the car in the 2200 block of US Highway 41 North. The car sped off as soon as it saw police,” Henderson Police wrote on Facebook.
Both guys fled on foot after a “short” pursuit, but Lee, who was driving, was caught. Police discovered that Gillespie wasn’t, and that his shoe had been found two streets away.
Since then, authorities have used “a large amount of manpower from several law enforcement agencies, police K9s, water vessels, helicopters, and drones” in their search for Gillespie. Authorities said there is a “heavy police presence” in the area as they “canvass neighborhoods and follow leads.”
Additionally, in a video that was posted by officials on Twitter, Gillespie’s daughter urged her father to come forward.
If your father is reading this, she said, “I’d prefer you turn yourself in before something bad happens.” “I want you to be a part of my life and my wedding. Anything negative should avoid happening. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you could just turn yourself in before anyone gets hurt. We desire your safety. Return to us, please. We don’t want anything horrible to occur.
Henderson Police Chief Sean McKinney told NBC that “we’ve been working around the clock” and that he thought the prisoner had been hurt in the escape.
He noted that hours prior to the pursuit in Henderson, Gillespie was captured on camera in an Evansville, Indiana Home Depot parking lot with a clear limp. On the offender search page maintained by the prisons department, Gillespie’s status is currently reported as “escaped”. He was found guilty of two charges of murder in 2016 and given two consecutive sentences of 15 to life in prison.
Since then, the major and the three prisons officers in Ohio have all been placed on administrative leave, according to a report from the local station WRGT. The site also states that the corrections department’s internal inquiry is still ongoing.
Police Chief Sean McKinney estimated that 1,600 man-hours had been spent looking for Gillespie during a press conference on Friday.
Memorial Day weekend is approaching, and McKinney wished Henderson’s residents a happy and enjoyable holiday. “I just want them to be cautious and safe… Simply put, if you’re on the river and you notice anything odd, give us a call. However, we will undoubtedly be more noticeable than usual.
