ANTWERP, Ohio — The four-day hunt for an Ohio man accused of escaping police custody by causing a van crash ended Monday night after he shot himself to death in the crawl space of his parents’ home, police said.
Branden Lee Powell, 32, of Antwerp, escaped Friday in Paulding County, according to the Paulding Progress. Powell, who was arrested July 8 and charged with rape, attempted rape and four counts of sexual battery, was being transported back to jail following a stay at the Northwest Ohio Psychiatric Hospital in Toledo.
The manhunt garnered national attention over the weekend, as local law enforcement officials were joined in the search by the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service. Paulding County Sheriff Jason Landers said in a statement to the media that searchers on Monday afternoon developed information that Powell might be in rural Antwerp, where his family lives.
Police said they found him hiding in the crawl space of his parents’ home. It was not clear if his parents were home at the time.
After four days, Paulding County fugitive has been located... deceased. Statement from the sheriff follows. http://www.wpta21.com/story/36083441/paulding-county-fugitive-found-dead
Posted by ABC21 WPTA on Monday, August 7, 2017
“Efforts were made by law enforcement personnel to successfully and peacefully bring Powell out of the crawl space and place him in custody,” Landers said in the statement. “However, Powell did not comply with those efforts. Branden Lee Powell chose to take his own life by gunshot at approximately 9:30 p.m.
“While this is not the outcome law enforcement had hoped for, law enforcement hopes the community can rest knowing this armed and dangerous individual is no longer a danger to the community.”
CBS News reported that it was an 80-mile trip from the psychiatric hospital to the jail. Powell had been at the hospital since July 13, when he was admitted after becoming suicidal in jail.
Powell slit his own throat while in custody, requiring surgery prior to being admitted to the psychiatric hospital, Landers said. He was released back into the sheriff's custody Friday.
Branden Powell, 32, is pictured leaving the Northwest Ohio Psychiatric Hospital in Toledo with a sheriff's deputy on Friday, Aug. 4, 2017. Police say Powell, who was accused of escaping custody by causing a transport van to crash and overpowering the deputy, shot himself to death Monday night following a manhunt.
Landers told the Progress that Paulding County Deputy Robert Miller had driven to within seven miles north of Paulding when Powell, who was restrained with handcuffs, iron leg shackles and a chain around his waist, scaled multiple seats in the van and put the deputy in a headlock. The van crashed into a ditch and, after a struggle, the inmate took Miller's weapon, the sheriff said.
Powell forced Miller to unlock his restraints before handcuffing the deputy to the van’s steering wheel. He disabled the van and its police radio before fleeing on foot with the gun and extra ammunition.
It took 10 to 15 minutes for Miller to free himself and flag down a passing motorist, Landers said. The deputy, who is also a retired Ohio Highway Patrol officer, suffered minor injuries in the crash and escape.
Landers praised Miller’s handling of the situation.
"I'm very proud of him. He fought as hard as he could fight, and as long as he could fight, until his weapon was overtaken, at which point he did exactly as he should in complying with the orders that were given," Landers said, according to the Progress.
that Landers was “angry” with himself over the escape.
"I take accountability for my office and the actions of my office," Landers said in an interview with CBS affiliate WANE-TV in Indiana. "There's a couple of things that I know could have prevented this issue from happening that are changes that we'll put in place immediately administratively."
Landers said that Powell was properly restrained, but the Progress reported that the transport van had no barrier to keep inmates separate from sheriff's office personnel. The sheriff told the newspaper that he plans to implement changes to the way prisoners are transported, including the addition of barriers.
Powell's pending sexually based charges all involved juvenile victims, the newspaper said. He had previously served several years in prison following a 2004 conviction for aggravated robbery and theft.
Cox Media Group
