XENIA — UPDATE @ 2:20 p.m. (Oct. 6):
After being on the run for nearly an entire day, a tip of a suspicious person led police to locating a Greene County Jail inmate who had walked away from a work detail.
>>’The Ohio River is now a huge, unmarked grave;’ Where the search stands for 2 area boys
Adrial Parks Sr., 43, was captured in Beavercreek shortly before noon Wednesday. Parks was working at a sheriff’s office administration garage cleaning and washing cruisers in Xenia when he walked away instead of returning to the jail.
Parks was suspected to have taken a corrections officer uniform, however that uniform has not been located.
Initial reports indicate Beavercreek police were notified about a suspicious person on Dayton Xenia Road near the Beavercreek Community Library around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Shortly after, Parks was located and taken into custody.
“It looks like he’s been in the dirt quite a bit. But he’s in custody and were going to start to interview him now,” Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer told News Center 7′s Gabrielle Enright.
Parks was driven back to the Greene County Jail where he spoke with Enright, saying he took off from the work program because he had six children and wanted to see them.
Fischer credited the distribution of tips and information across several channels to leading to the ultimate tip and arrest of Parks.
“We tried to get the word out as best we could and I think that helped. See something say something is huge. It is always important and this tip led to us being able to get this inmate back to where he’s supposed to be,” Fischer said.
Fischer said it appears Parks was able to have access to the corrections officer uniform because a dry cleaner had recently dropped off cleaned uniforms at the garage where Parks was cleaning sheriff’s office cruiser.
“We’re gonna revisit some of the policies that we use. I imagine he’ll be the last inmate that we use to clean cruisers,” Fischer said.
The sheriff’s office had already submitted a proposed 2022 budget that already included money to have cruisers washed at area car washes, instead of using the trusted work detail.
“Its disappointing because he built a trust with people in the jail and we extended that chance for him to work off some of that time instead of spending his whole time in the jail. And we’ve had very good success with that (program),” Fischer said.
“Its an opportunity to shorten your time and this guy’s going to extend his.”
Parks is already facing a new felony escape charge, with additional charges pending including theft of the corrections officer uniform, Fischer said. He added Parks didn’t have much time left on his sentence, but now faces the more severe charges with more severe punishments.
“He has went from some small time in the Greene County Jail to a felony escape which would be served in a state penitentiary, state prison,” Fischer previously told News Center 7.
UPDATE @ 11:55 a.m. (Oct. 6):
Adrial Parks Sr., the Greene County Jail inmate who prompted an hours-long search Tuesday after he walked away from a work detail in Xenia, was located and captured in Beavercreek Wednesday morning,, according to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
A sheriff’s office spokesperson said Parks was captured after Beavercreek officers responded to reports of a suspicious person. The spokesperson did not identify the location he was captured, however police scanner traffic indicates it was in a wooded area near the Beavercreek Community Library on Dayton Xenia Road.
We’ll update this story as we learn more.
UPDATE @ 9:35 a.m. (Oct. 6):
The search for a Greene County Jail inmate has entered a second day, after the inmate walked away from a work detail in Xenia Tuesday afternoon.
>>‘The Ohio River is now a huge, unmarked grave;’ Where the search stands for 2 area boys
Adrial Parks Sr., 43, was last seen around 1 p.m. in downtown Xenia, washing cruisers as part of a trusted work detail. During the afternoon work, Parks walked away and was believed to have taken a corrections officer uniform.
“Trustee came over to wash cars like they always do and this gentleman decided to walk away,” Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer told News Center 7 Tuesday.
Fischer said the sheriff’s office and Xenia police ended their active search Tuesday night but he remains confident Parks will be located because of his connections to the area.
“To my understanding he lives in the southern part of the county and we’ve been to his house and he’s not there so we’re doing a good search.”
And while the active search for Parks has been suspended, officers and deputies across the county are remaining vigilant in looking for him, Fischer said.
Parks was not considered a flight risk when he started the work program washing cruisers, Fischer said. He was not being actively watched by a deputy while he was working, but surveillance cameras were in place while he was working, which Fischer said has been the procedure for years.
Fischer said Parks’ escape could mark the end of the trusted work detail.
Deputies describe Parks as a white male, 6-feet 2-inches tall, with brown hair and brown eyes. If you see him, you’re urged to contact 911 immediately.
Fisher said Parks’ legal troubles will now be more severe after he’s caught. Parks had previously been jailed on charges of obstructing justice and driving under suspension.
“He has went from some small time in the Greene County Jail to a felony escape which would be served in a state penitentiary, state prison,” Fischer said.
PREVIOUS REPORT (Oct. 5):
Deputies are currently searching for a Greene County Jail inmate who walked away from a work detail and has not been accounted for since 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
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Deputies are looking for Adrial Parks Sr., 43, who was last seen in the downtown Xenia area. Deputies said it appears Parks took a corrections officer uniform and could still be wearing it.
He’s described as a white man, around 6-feet 2-inches tall, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Deputies ask if you see Parks to call 911 immediately.
Parks was being held in the jail on charges of obstructing official business and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license, deputies said in a media release. He had been booked in the jail since Aug. 26, according to online jail records.
This is a developing story and we’ll update this page as we learn more.
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