NELSONVILLE, OH (WCMH) – Escaped murderer John Modie has been captured in Nelsonville, according to a Facebook post by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
A public information officer with Ohio State Patrol says Modie was taken into custody at 10:50pm by a joint task force. Ohio University police added that Modie was recaptured without incident.
No other details about Modie’s recapture were immediately available.
Modie went missing from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction facility during the 11pm count on Sunday. A joint task force then began searching for Modie for the next 24 hours.
What law enforcement sources described as a credible sighting came shortly before 6am Monday morning about three miles from the prison. A couple of motorists on route 685 in the village of Buchtel say they saw a man fitting Modie’s description on the side of the road. Buchtel Police Chief Jeremy Sharp says troopers swarmed the area.
Modie is serving a 15-years to life sentence for the October 2003 murder of 26-year-old Ucianna Ortiz. Investigators determined Modie had killed the woman at his home in Cleveland before dumping her body off of I-90. He was arrested several days later in Texas driving a BMW stolen from another victim in Cuyahoga County.
Modie was originally convicted of murder, robbery and escape in Cuyahoga County, but police say he has family ties to Washington County. Police are asking for public assistance by reporting anything suspicious to law enforcement.
According to the facility’s website, the Hocking Unit houses approximately 450 older offenders. It is a minimum and medium security facility.Keep checking NBC4i.com for real-time updates on this story. To get alerts for breaking news, grab the free NBC4 News App for iPhone or Android. You can also sign up for email alerts.What others are clicking on:
