Ohio School Shooter Escapes From Overcrowded Prison, Still At Large (Updated)
September 11, 2014

T.J. Lane's name may not be a household word nationally, but he is well known in Ohio. In 2012, he opened fire on his fellow students, killing three and gravely wounding a fourth.

Tonight he has escaped from prison and is still at large.

Chardon High School shooter T.J. Lane has escaped from the Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio, Allen County Sheriff Sam Crish said.

Another inmate, 45-year-old Clifford E. Opperud from Carlisle, Ohio is with him, Lima Police posted on Facebook.

Lima Police said that the two escaped at around 7:40 p.m. They are wearing prison blues and warn residents not to open their door to strangers or pick up hitchhikers.

TPM reports that the prison had 200 more inmates than it had capacity for, and an April report noted concerns about how high security prisoners were handled.

An April inspection of the Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution - the facility from which convicted school shooter T.J. Lane escaped - rated the prison "good" but noted concerns with the management of "higher security inmates."

Cleveland Leader, quoting the inspection report:

CIIC has an ongoing concern regarding the Protective Control unit. The unit has improved since the prior inspection in 2012, with fewer security management concerns. However, security management remains a concern, both in terms of how the higher security inmates are handled, as well as discipline for misconduct.

The CIIC report also indicates that while no prisoners escaped during the the time period evaluated (2013), there were two attempted escapes during this time. In addition, the report highlighted another security concern, which was that "officers were inconsistent for required shakedowns and the documentation of the shakedowns." The report even says that "in one unit, officers stopped doing shakedowns."

The report also indicated the prison was 200 inmates over capacity in April.

Update: Police have caught TJ Lane, but his accomplice remains at large.

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