One inmate on the run after woman helps fiancé and several others escape from Ohio jail, police say

FRANKLIN FURNACE, Ohio — A man accused of escaping from police custody in Ohio is still on the run after police said they arrested three other men who escaped, as well as the man and woman who helped them.

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The STAR Community Justice Center in Franklin Furnace, Ohio, called for assistance Saturday night, saying there were “2-3 male inmates escaping” and that they had possibly climbed the fence, the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Deputies said that when they arrived, a person at the jail gave them the names of the escapees and a description of a woman who had been seen near the fence just prior to the escape. Deputies had seen a woman when they initially arrived, who denied having anything to do with the escape when asked. But because the woman matched the description given by the STAR Community Justice Center, she was quickly relocated and detained, officials said.

The woman, whom deputies identified as Allie Angelo, is accused of going to the STAR Community Justice Center with her ex-husband, Matthew Sladen, to help her fiancé escape, deputies said in their news release. Jeffrey Fields, Angelo’s fiancé, was found walking down a nearby road and arrested, as was another escapee, Clifford Morris, who was found walking on the same road, deputies said.

Matthew Sladen was arrested at a Walmart in Waverly, deputies told WCMH.

Deputies credited a K-9 unit from the Portsmouth Police Department with tracking Aaron Bridgeman, another escapee, who was found walking on railroad property after emerging from the woods. When deputies asked Bridgeman where the other escapee was, Bridgeman told them to look near a mobile home on Selby Avenue. Deputies said they found Walker Pence in the woods next to the mobile home.

Deputies have been unable to find Thomas Comberger, 46, of Wilmington, Ohio. Anyone who sees him is asked to call 911.

All of the escapees from the STAR Community Justice Center were non-violent drug offenders, The Ironton Tribune reported.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol will investigate the escape, since the STAR Community Justice Center is on state property, The Highland County Press reported.

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