Sheriff: 4 inmates escape county jail in Ohio

GALLIPOLIS, Ohio (AP) — Four male inmates overpowered two female corrections officers with a homemade weapon Sunday morning and escaped from a county jail in Ohio, according to the Gallia County Sheriff's Office.

The four men forced open a secured door just after midnight at the jail in Gallipolis (gal-uh-puh-LEES'), along the Ohio River in southeast Ohio, according to the Sheriff's Office.

They then entered the jail's administrative wing, stole the keys to a corrections officer's vehicle and drove it about a block away where another vehicle was waiting for them, Sheriff Matt Champlin said.

They had help from at least one person outside the jail, he said.

The inmates have been identified as Christopher Clemente, 24, Brynn Martin, 40, Troy McDaniel Jr., 30, and Lawrence Lee III, 29. Authorities said the inmates should be considered dangerous.

Champlin said authorities in Pennsylvania located the suspected getaway vehicle and believed Clemente was in the area, prompting the evacuation of the Westmoreland Mall outside Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

The mall has since reopened. But Champlin said authorities believe one or more of the escapees is still operating a gray 2019 Dodge Charger, which has Ohio Registration HVP8419 and is registered to Clemente.

Clemente was being held for an indictment of two felony counts of complicity to trafficking drugs. Martin, who Champlin said escaped for the second time from the jail, is charged with breaking and entering, receiving stolen property, two counts of failure to appear, and escape — all felonies. McDaniel was being held for failure to appear from Gallia County Juvenile Court and Lee faces charges of felony identity fraud and two misdemeanors: obstructing official business and assault.

The United States Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $2,500 per escapee for information leading to an arrest.