ALLEN COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - An inmate makes his first trip back to Allen County after escaping from the Allen Correctional Institution in May.
47-year-old James Lee pleaded not guilty to one count of escape. Lee is currently in the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility serving 18 years that he has remaining on 2021 convictions in Allen and Auglaize Counties and another eight years from the charges he got during his capture in Henderson, Kentucky. If he is convicted in Allen County, there could be a maximum of another eight years added to his sentence.
On May 22nd, Lee and Bradley Gillespie escaped Allen Correctional Institution through the trash, and their disappearance wasn't noticed for over 24 hours. Lee was captured in Kentucky when the pair crashed a car they stole. Gillespie ran and ended up drowning while eluding law enforcement. A pretrial hearing has been set for Lee next week in Allen County.
