Justice system failures = new Ohio victims

Only you can protect you.

Zanesville Times-Recorder: Murder suspect got early release

Murder suspect Jeremy McGilton was prematurely let out of the county jail, and the sheriff's office is still looking into how the mistake was made.
Sheriff Bob Stephenson is investigating whether a combination of missing paperwork and his office not being informed of a parole holder led to McGilton's release Feb. 27.
"We're still not sure what happened," Stephenson said.
McGilton, 24, of Zanesville, was arrested last week for the murder of James Young, 24, of Horry County, S.C. Young was found dead in his 2766 Oak Bay Drive home early March 27.
Tawnya Todd, McGilton's ex-girlfriend, said she believes the murder would not have happened if McGilton hadn't been let out early. She is considering legal action because she has a 4-month-old son by McGilton and "now my baby doesn't have his daddy," she said.
McGilton was paroled in November after serving about five months of a seven-month sentence for having a weapon under disability.

WHIOTV Dayton: Investigators Believe Rape Suspect Is Hiding In Dayton

Police in Dayton are looking for a man they said committed a violent rape after he was released from jail.
Investigators said Michael Cohen was mistakenly released last Monday, after being arrested following a police chase in the Miami Valley. Investigators said a short time after his release, Cohen raped a woman.
Early in the investigation, police thought Cohen may have left the state. However, on Monday, police said they want citizen's to know that they believe Cohen is in the Dayton area and may be hanging out in the area near Liscum Drive or Hollencamp Avenue, where they said he has family living.
Police said Cohen is known to carry weapons, and has martial arts training. If you see him or know where he is, call the Dayton police.

Columbus Dispatch: Convicted rapist sought by police

A convicted rapist is wanted by Columbus police in the kidnapping and robbery of two women from a Northeast Side apartment complex.

Quan Randolph Jordan, 40, is charged with two counts of kidnapping and two counts of aggravated robbery in connection with the Saturday morning incident.

The victims, described by police as sisters in their 20s, said they were sexually assaulted by the suspect. Police are awaiting lab tests before deciding on additional charges, spokesman Sgt. Brent Mull said.

Jordan was identified by police after an investigation that began with a license plate number supplied by the victims, who then picked his picture out of a photo lineup, Mull said.

Jordan remained at large last night.

He was released from the Lebanon Correctional Institution in December 2003 after serving nearly nine years on a rape conviction in Franklin County, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

WHIOTV Dayton: Convicted Sex Offender Accused Of Same Crime

A man recently convicted of having sex with a minor is accused of doing it again, according to police.
Celina police said Cory Thobe, 18, had sex with a 13-year-old.
In February, Thobe was convicted of unlawful sexual conduct with a 15-year-old.

While newspapers clamor for the privilege to print the names of the law-abiding CHL holders, criminals, sexual offenders, and criminals of all types are being turned loose on society. Unfortunately, too many of these strike again. It is time for Ohio legislators, and the media, to focus on the criminal and leave law-abiding citizens alone.