CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A Chillicothe man who was wanted for failing to register as a sex offender and for fleeing from the Chillicothe Police Department has been captured, according to law enforcement officials. The man, identified as Michael Anthony Owes, is known in the area due to his involvement in several documentaries regarding the missing women of Chillicothe.
Owes had been on the run for over a year after failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements. In 2019, he pleaded guilty to gross sexual imposition, accepting a plea deal that reduced his charges from rape to GSI. The victim in that case was approximately 5 years old at the time of the crime.
On Friday afternoon, Chillicothe police received information that Owes was at the AutoZone on North Bridge Street. Upon their arrival, officers attempted to engage with him, but Owes quickly reversed his vehicle and fled at a high speed. According to the police report, officers witnessed a small child in a car seat in the rear passenger seat as Owes made his escape, nearly colliding with oncoming traffic and running several red lights along South Bridge Street.
Owes, who has been evading law enforcement, now faces potential additional charges in addition to the warrant for failing to register as a sex offender.