LIMA, Ohio (WKBN) – Four employees of an Ohio prison have been placed on administrative leave following the announcement that two inmates escaped from the facility earlier this week.
Bradley Gillespie and James Lee escaped from the Allen/Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio, on Monday “after concealing themselves in a dumpster,” officials said. They were noticed missing the following day during a prisoner count, according to a news release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Law enforcement officials, pursuing the two after they were spotted driving a stolen car, apprehend Lee on Tuesday after the car crashed. Gillespie, however, got away and remains at large.
A major and three corrections officers have been placed on paid administrative leave as a result of the incident, officials said. Additional employees may be placed on administrative leave as the investigation continues.
An investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol is also ongoing.
Gillespie, 50, was imprisoned in 2016 for murder. Lee, 47, was imprisoned in 2021 for burglary and safecracking.
Gillespie’s daughter, in a video shared by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, implored her father to turn himself in.
“If you’re hearing this, I prefer you turn yourself in before something bad happens,” she says, her voice cracking. “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.”
Anyone with information on Gillespie is encouraged to contact the OSHP Findlay Patrol Post at 419-423-1414 or the United States Marshal Service at 1-866-4WANTED. If encountered, police say not to approach Gillespie and contact 911 immediately.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
