72-year-old Frankfort man dead after standoff with Ross County law enforcement

CHILLICOTHE— A man with a shotgun initiated a standoff with local law enforcement on Thursday after a U.S. Marshal attempted to serve a felony arrest warrant, according to the Ross County Sheriff's Office.

The deceased was identified as Lowell Earles, 72, of Frankfort. A bench warrant was issued for Earles to the RCSO after he failed to appear for a hearing May 10, 2022. The warrant was in reference to five charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor from 2019.

The US Marshals Service Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) responded to an address in the 14000 block of Westfall Road in an attempt to serve a felony arrest warrant.

Upon their arrival, officers located the Earles inside the garage, armed with a shotgun.

SOFAST officers established a perimeter around the garage and attempted to talk Earles out of the garage while awaiting additional assistance. Deputies from the Ross County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene, along with the Ross-Fayette Joint Emergency Response Team and the Chillicothe Police Department SWAT, according to the sheriff's office.

Negotiators talked with Earles for several hours before deploying tear gas into the garage to lure him out. After no one exited, law enforcement entered the garage and located the subject, who was declared deceased by EMS.

The RCSO has not released the cause of death. No law enforcement officers deployed a firearm during this incident. The death remains under investigation by detectives and the Ross County Coroner’s Office.

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office, Union Township Fire Department, MedFlight and the Ross County EMA also assisted during the incident.

Megan Becker is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. Call her at 740-349-1106, email her at mbecker@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @BeckerReporting

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Frankfort man dead after standoff with Ross County law enforcement