George Wagner, IV, the son of a suspected-murderous family was at the center of a jailhouse escape over the weekend as four people tunneled out of jail.
The Ross County Sheriff confirmed to news media on Monday that George Wagner, IV, (the son) was not one of four inmates to break through a wall at a county jail this weekend, despite social media rumors over the weekend.
Wagner, 27, is facing eight counts of murder, along with his family. He is accused of killing eight members of the Rhoden family in Pike County in 2016. Wagner has been housed at the Ross County Jail in Chillicothe since his November 2018 arrest. Four inmates escaped from the jail over the weekend but all four have been apprehended.
It happened at around 8:45 p.m. on Friday.
Rumors immediately started to circulate on social media after the escape occurred that Wagner was among the escapees. It was not until Monday morning that the Sheriff dispelled the rumors in emails to news media.
Deputies, officers, and troopers were scouring downtown Chillicothe and Yocktangee Park for the inmates Friday night. Law enforcement officers from as far as Scioto County joined in the search.
One inmate was caught in Yocktangee Park in Chillicothe, another is believed to have turned themselves in; a third inmate’s apprehension was not immediately known, and the fourth inmate was caught a little over an hour after the escape on route 772 near Patton Hill Road.
The escape was done like a scene out of a Hollywood movie. The four men reportedly created a giant hole in the side of the jail’s building, which is made of concrete cinder blocks with brick and used bedsheets to make a ladder to scale down the third floor.
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The escape is very similar to that of convicted cop killer John Parsons; Parsons killed Chillicothe Police Officer Larry Cox in 2006. While being held in the county jail Parsons used jolly rancher candies, newspaper, toilet paper, and toothpaste to tunnel out of the jail’s wall. When that method failed he scaled a wall with a homemade ladder. He was on the run for more than four months before he was caught in the woods in Ross County.
The Ross County Sheriff’s office released a statement online about Friday night’s escape:
“At approximately 9:00 p.m. (Friday) four inmates escaped from the Ross County Jail,” the statement reads. “As of 10:10 p.m. (Friday) all four inmates have been recaptured. The investigation into this incident is ongoing….”
The inmates’ names have not been released.
The Ross County Jail has been plagued with issues in the last year, including the death of numerous inmates, as well as other escapes that occurred. Ross County Sheriff George Lavender ran unopposed in the 2020 election and received more than 18,000 votes.
When first running for Sheriff more than ten years ago Lavender promised a restructuring of the jail.
“I promised to restructure the focus and the work force of your Sheriff’s Office,” he said at the time. “Towards this new beginning I am starting with new Division Mottos and new Mission Statements. I believe with this new clarity and purpose the Corrections will be working to meet your expectations.”
Scioto County Daily News contributed to this report.
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Four escaped inmates in Ross Co. apprehended