One of the most popular stories in Chillicothe, Ohio in 2006 actually made national news. It all started on July 29, 2006.
This day was like many days in late July in southern, Ohio. It was hot, very hot. That afternoon, John Parsons, an inmate housed in the Ross County (Chillicothe) jail had escaped. The town was on alert. Many people were shocked and some were scared.
John Parsons was not the usual type of criminal one sees in a small town like Chillicothe, Ohio. John Parsons was in this jail awaiting trial for murder, murder of a beloved police (Larry Cox) officer. If found guilty, John Parsons may be looking at a death sentence.
The way John Parsons escaped has been considered ingenious and the work of a man with a clear imagination and high intelligence level. Using pencils, newspapers, toilet paper and duct tape John Parsons made his escape ladder. He then hid this man made ladder inside his cell, behind one of the bricks, scrapping away at the molding that held the brick in place, loosening the brick and placing the rope behind the brick. He then would remove it as he added to his rope. Using green mint toothpaste that matched the color of the painted brick, the brick did not look like it had been moved. He had apparently been working on this rope and brick for a long time before his escape. The security guards did not notice that anything was wrong with the brick until the day before John escaped. The guard, following procedure, put in a work order to have maintenance look at it. But the work did not get completed in time for the guards to find the man made rope or to figure out John’s plans.
The day of John Parson’s escape, John put on a layering of assigned uniforms and hid the rope. When it came time for a recreational break outside, John said he did not want to participate. Then as the prisoners were led outside for their break, John snuck in the line unbeknownst to the guards.
The recreational area is housed on top of the Chillicothe jail. It is surrounded by a steal fence. The fence is high. Yet, it wasn’t enough to stop John,
Waiting for his chance, John got out his man made rope threw it over the top of the fence and began climbing. He climbed over the fence, jumped off the building onto the next building and on into the street.
This led to John’s short spell of freedom. A man hunt began. But it took many months to find this smart man.
Reports came in that he was first in the area of McDonald hill Road. For days, officers and volunteers roamed those woods looking for John Parsons. But they didn’t find him.
Two weeks later a tip came that he was hiding in the area of Three Locks Road in an old fisherman’s shack. This began the slow process that would ultimately lead to John’s capture.
July, turned to August, September and then finally to October. The weather was turning. The local sheriff said this would hurt John. He was sure that John was still living near, in those woods somewhere.
Since John was wanted for the death of a police officer, the case made national headlines and even was featured on America’s Most Wanted. Awards were also issued for the capture of this man.
Then John Parsons joined the likes of Usama Bin Laden and was put on the list of the 10 most wanted Fugitives by the FBI. The reward for the capture of John Parsons went up to an incredible $125,000.
Finally, John Parsons’s time had run out for me. On October 19, 2006 an abandon shack was found by two local men. They wondered if this could be a hide out for the fugitive. They contacted the police. The FBI took over the investigation and with the help of the local police and sheriff’s station; they surrounded the cabin, where they found a sleeping John Parsons.
John Parsons gave up with no fight. He told him that they got him. He was then taken into custody and is now awaiting trial once more. But this time the trial has been moved to Hamilton County and John Parsons is no longer staying in the Chillicothe, jail. For the time being he is being housed in the Orient County Jail.
The thing that looks bad for the Chillicothe Sheriff’s station is the fact that the abandon shack was located a little less than two miles from the station itself. Many people find this fact a bit humiliating.
Why did he stay in town? Many say it is because his mother is battling cancer. Did he kill Officer Cox or has he been framed? Many have argued this point in Chillicothe Ohio. But new news developed on this story on December 8, 2006. John Parsons went back to court and pleaded guilty to all counts. A plea bargain was set and the meaning was clear. John Parsons will be spending the rest of his life in prison, with no possibility of parole. He would no longer be looking at the death sentence. From news reports, it seems like the State has a lot of evidence against John Parsons. Does this truly mean he is guilty? Of course, not. Many times people will say they are guilty to just keep from looking at a harsher sentence in this case, the death sentence. But it does mean that the family of Officer Cox may not get some peace and Chillicothe can go back to the quiet town it once was.
