Manhunt underway for four escaped inmates in Ohio
The men overpowered female guards with a weapon and are believed to have had outside help. The escaped inmates are said to be extremely dangerous.
A manhunt was underway Sunday for four inmates who escaped from an Ohio jail after overpowering two female guards with a homemade knife, officials said.
The men who broke out of the Gallia County Jail in Gallipolis around 12:14 a.m. Sunday also had help from the outside, Sheriff Matt Champlin said.
"The four inmates were successful in forcing open a secured door and escaped," he said.
Mugshots show, left to right, Lawrence Lee, 29; Troy McDaniel, 30; Christopher Clemente, 24; and Brynn Martin, 40. The four inmates escaped from the Gallia County Jail early Sunday after overpowering two female guards, investigators said. (Gallia County Sheriff's Office)
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The escapees were identified as Brynn Martin, 40; Christopher Clemente, 24; Troy McDaniel Jr., 30; and Lawrence Lee III, 29.
"Deputies have established that the inmates had assistance in escaping from at least one individual on the outside," Champlin.
Ohio troopers said Sunday afternoon that they had reason to believe that Clemente was in Pennsylvania in the area of the Westmoreland Mall in Greensburg. Police converged on the mall in large numbers and evacuated shoppers, according to reports.
"All of the inmates should be considered extremely dangerous," he said.
Online records show Lee was being held on a charge of identity fraud; Clemente on a charge of aiding and abetting another in committing a crime; and Martin on charges of failure to appear and escape. It's unclear what charge McDaniel was being held on.
The escape charge against Martin was for an incident earlier this month, according to reports.
On Sept. 3 Martin and Jesse Partlow, 30, were in a jail transport vehicle when they escaped, WSAZ-TV reported.
Both were captured the next day after a brief standoff, the station reported. They were found hiding in the crawl space of a home on a state road near the Village of Cheshire.
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Officials issued an alert after the escape saying both men were wearing orange jail garb and leg shackles.
A 30-year-old woman was arrested at the home on suspicion of aiding Martin and Partlow in their attempt to elude law enforcement, the Gallipolis Daily Tribune reported.
