Trial set for escaped prisoner

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A June trial has been set for the man who escaped from a correctional facility in Athens County and was apprehended by City of Delaware Police in April.

Troy B. T. Byrd, 28, appeared in Delaware County Common Pleas Court Monday afternoon, where he entered a not guilty plea to one count of failure to comply with order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony.

Assistant Delaware County Prosecutor Cory Goe said that on April 1, Jamie Victoria Jarrett, 38, of Galloway, Ohio, assisted Byrd after he escaped from the SEPTA Correction Facility in Nelsonville, Ohio. Goe said that on April 4, law enforcement received a tip from a woman who said Jarrett came to her and asked her for help.

Police report they spotted Byrd in a vehicle at the Dollar General on London Road in Delaware and attempted to pull the vehicle over but Jarrett refused to comply. They led authorities on a 14-mile chase down U.S. 42 and into Union County where Jarrett eventually pulled over and she and Byrd were taken into custody.

Jarrett has been charged with failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony; one count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony and one count of obstructing justice, a fifth-degree felony.

Goe said the failure to comply charge rises to the level of a third-degree felony because Jarrett and Byrd caused a substantial risk to the public by traveling at speeds 10 miles over the speed limit and running several red lights. Fleeing police and assisting Byrd are also the basis for the Jarrett’s obstructing justice charge.

Goe said Jarrett’s tampering with evidence charge stems from Jarrett removing the SIM card from her cell phone and then throwing away the cell phone to avoid authorities locating her with the phone’s GPS.

Byrd and Jarrett have been scheduled to stand trial on June 29.

At Byrd’s arraignment Delaware County Common Pleas Judge Everett Krueger said the penalty for the third-degree felony failure to comply charge is between nine and 36 months in prison.

Goe said that Byrd is scheduled to be released from prison on Nov. 18, 2017, and that Byrd is expected to be charged with escape in Athens County Common Pleas Court.

Additionally, Krueger set Jarrett’s bond at $100,000 at her arraignment on April 19.

Jarrett and Byrd were in the Delaware County Jail Monday. Both were indicted on April 14 by a Delaware County Grand Jury.

Troy B.T. Byrd
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2017/05/web1_Troy-Byrd-1.jpgTroy B.T. Byrd

By Glenn Battishill

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Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.

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