LIMA -- An inspection committee that oversees prison facilities throughout Ohio released a statement regarding the escape and capture of convicted Chardon shooter T.J. Lane, along with two other inmates.
Inmates Lindsey Bruce, Clifford Opperrud and Lane escaped the Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution at 7:45 p.m.
The three managed to escape by using a makeshift ladder to scale the fence around the perimeter. Bruce was captured shortly after the escape.
Officials located Lane about 1:20 a.m., who was taken into custody without incident about 100 yards from the prison.
Hours later, Opperrud was found and taken into custody 4:22 a.m.
The Correctional Institute Correctional Committee, which conducts unannounced inspections and publishes its results on the facilities, said improvements have created "fewer security management concerns," but questions remain for how high security inmates were disciplined for misconduct.
The statement released Friday morning after the eventual capture of all three inmates reads:
As you are likely aware, three inmates escaped from Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution last night, one of which was TJ Lane. He and the others were captured early this morning, reportedly about 100 yards outside the prison fence.
Although AOCI is a medium security facility, Lane was in the DRC's Protective Control (PC) unit, which is in the former Oakwood Correctional Facility. PC is used to hold inmates who have substantiated threats to their safety, generally due to the notoriety of their case, testifying against other inmates, gang conflicts, or any other reason. It is a higher security setting than the main compound, housing inmates of all security classifications except for Level 5 (supermax). Level 4 (maximum) security inmates have also been in the process of moving to another facility, although AOCI still had two or three when we were there in April. Inmates have more limited movement based on their security classification.
As stated in the executive overview of CIIC's AOCI inspection report and included in our public release of the report, "CIIC has an ongoing concern regarding the Protective Control unit. The unit has improved since the prior inspection of 2012, with fewer security management concerns. However, security management remains a concern, both in terms of how the higher security inmates are handled, as well as discipline for misconduct." We certainly hope and expect that the DRC will conduct a thorough review and release a publicly available report of its findings.
That said, the quick capture of the inmates, with no injuries or loss of life reported, is truly a credit to state and local law enforcement agencies.
