Henderson, Kentucky, police conducted a neighborhood canvas Thursday evening with the U.S. Marshals’ Fugitive Task Force and were continuing to “follow leads” Friday as escaped Ohio inmate Bradley Gillespie remained at large.
Gillespie, 50, was convicted in 2016 of committing a double murder, and reportedly escaped from the Allen/Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio, on Tuesday along with inmate James Marion Lee.
The pair had made their way to Henderson by Wednesday morning in a stolen Mercury Capri, according to police records reviewed by the Courier & Press. After a vehicle chase − and a foot chase − local law enforcement captured Lee, 47, but Gillespie escaped.
Henderson police held a news conference Friday afternoon regarding the status of its investigation.
More:Convicted murderer at large after escaping Ohio prison; another escapee captured
Escapees came through Evansville first
Henderson Chief of Police Sean McKinney confirmed Friday afternoon that law enforcement had obtained video of Gillespie and Lee walking through the parking lot of Evansville’s Westside Home Depot about six hours before they would end up in a pursuit with HPD.
McKinney said the video also helped to show a “pronounced limp” Gillespie appears to have.
“It is our belief he was injured during his escape in Ohio,” McKinney said.
Thursday afternoon, the Evansville Police Department had said it did not have any information indicating Gillespie had made his way to Evansville, despite rampant online speculation as to his current whereabouts.
Search will continue into the holiday weekend
HPD’s assistance from Ohio, the U.S. Marshals, has left. But McKinney said the searching will not stop.
“We have no evidence to believe he has left Henderson,” McKinney said.
He urged the community to be vigilant and check on their neighbors, or those that may live on their own.
Friday afternoon Ohio State Highway Patrol shared a video on social media of Gillespie’s daughter asking him to turn himself in.
“I want you in my life, I want you at my wedding,” she says in the video. “I don’t want anything bad to happen.”
Thursday evening’s canvas
After searches with drones, K-9s, police helicopters and foot patrols failed to locate Gillespie, the HPD announced Thursday that it would conduct a canvas “on the north end of Henderson.”
“Law enforcement, including the United States Marshall Fugitive Task Force, will be going door to door to speak with residents,” the department stated.
The operation did not lead to Gillespie’s capture, though three specific addresses were searched based on tips, according to HPD.
“We are looking into every call that we get,” McKinney said.
The HPD said neighborhood canvassing have continued on Friday.
Documents shed light on police chase that led to Lee’s capture and Gillespie’s escape
Early Wednesday morning, an HPD officer observed the stolen Mercury Capri as it drove “south on U.S. 41 just past the bridge,” according to a sworn affidavit filed in Henderson County Circuit Court.
A national database flagged the vehicle as being occupied by two escaped inmates from Ohio.
The officer who first spotted the stolen Capri alerted the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office and city police to the vehicle’s location and direction of travel. Law enforcement then positioned vehicles further south along U.S. 41.
“These units were waiting to make contact with the vehicle,” the affidavit states. “Officers attempted to make a vehicle stop on the Capri in the area of Audubon Chrysler,” but Lee − who officers believe to have been the driver – failed to stop.
Lee and Gillespie fled south on U.S. 41 as police pursued them. According to the affidavit, the escaped inmates eventually made their way to North Elm Street.
“The vehicle turned onto Camaro Drive then to Camaro Court, where it crashed through a fence and into a backyard of a residence,” the affidavit states.
Sheriff’s deputies and city police then began chasing both Lee and Gillespie on foot.
“They were able to stop James Lee in the area of Camaro Court,” Lee’s arrest citation states. But Gillespie evaded capture. Police records make no mention of how Gillespie got away, other than to state, “both subjects jumped over a fence as they were fleeing on foot.”
Lee was arrested at 3:19 a.m. and booked into the Henderson County Detention Center, police said.
According to court records, Lee is charged with two counts of fleeing or evading police and one count of receiving stolen property.
Gillespie remains at large as of Friday afternoon
HPD officials said they set up a perimeter around Camaro Drive after Lee’s arrest and were “using (the) resources we have to locate Bradley Gillespie.” By Wednesday afternoon, police activity around Camaro Drive had died down.
Thursday afternoon, the HPD released additional photographs of Gillespie, which can be viewed in the gallery below.
On Wednesday morning, search efforts broadened
At 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, Kentucky authorities said they established a command post at the Hayes Boat Ramp, where investigators reportedly recovered a piece of Gillespie’s clothing.
“The park is closed while multiple agencies assist in coordinating efforts to locate Bradley Gillespie,” HPD officials said. “Please avoid the area.”
By 1 p.m. Wednesday, a large law enforcement presence could be seen along Sunset Lane near Henderson’s Old Race Track. The heavily tree-covered area is intersected by gravel roads and is positioned near an industrial zone and the Ohio River.
Vehicles from multiple agencies, including city police and the county’s emergency management agency, were active in the area Wednesday afternoon. A police helicopter could be heard buzzing overhead.
The search for Gillespie remains active as of Friday afternoon. Henderson police urged the community to remain “vigilant” and asked home and business owners to review “any home surveillance you may have since May 24th at 3:17 a.m.”
Police have instructed members of the public not to approach Gillespie, “as he is considered dangerous and possibly armed.”
“Lock your residence and your vehicles,” HPD spokesman Stuart O’nan wrote Wednesday evening. “Turn on exterior lights. If you see anyone matching the physical description of Bradley Gillespie, contact 911 immediately.”
Award offered for information leading to Gillespie’s arrest
In 2016, a Paulding County, Ohio, jury convicted Gillespie of murdering Hannah Fischer and Frank Tracy Jr. A judge sentenced him to serve two consecutive 15-year-to-life sentences.
The Allen County Sheriff’s Office − in accordance with other Ohio law enforcement agencies − has offered up to a $21,000 reward “for information that leads to the capture of Bradley Gillespie.”
Friday, HPD confirmed they had been approved by the city of Henderson to add an additional $10,000 to the award.
This is a developing story and will be updated.