An Accused rapist was able to escape from a prison van on Friday and went to his parents’ home in Ohio. While police were negotiating with him to surrender, he killed himself with a gun.
The suspect, 32-year-old Branden Lee Powell, came from a Toledo psychiatric hospital and was being transported back to the Paulding County Jail.
How the suspect escaped
He was able to overpower the Ohio sheriff’s deputy, who was the only person with him at the time, by leaping over him and putting him in a headlock. He still had a belly belt, handcuffs, and leg shackles on him when he attacked the deputy.
According to USA Today, Powell took the deputy’s gun and demanded that the deputy free him.
The accused rapist then handcuffed the unidentified deputy to the steering wheel. He also removed the van’s radio before escaping.
Powell went straight to his parents' house after the deputy freed him. It was not stated by police if they were alerted to Powell's whereabouts by his parents. According to the Associated Press, Police located him but he hid in a crawl space in the home before he killed himself while they attempted to negotiate with him.
Suspect became suicidal when he was imprisoned
Powell was arrested on July 8 but he became suicidal when he was taken into custody on a felony rape charge. Authorities did not detail what Powell did that qualified him as suicidal and resulted in them taking him to the Northwest Ohio Psychiatric Hospital on the day he attacked the deputy (July 13).
Police also did not release details as to how many times Powell attempted to take his life while in jail.
Powell also faced attempted rape and sexual battery charges.
Sheriff Jason Landers speaks out
After the escape of Powell, a massive manhunt was launched involving local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Sheriff Landers said that the deputy should not be blamed for his escape as there was no screen or barrier between the area where the inmate was and where the van’s driver was seated.
The deputy suffered minor injuries from the attack.
Before Powell died, Landers said in a statement that he was angry with himself and that he takes accountability for his office and the actions of his office regarding the alleged rapist’s escape. He pointed out that they know they could have done more to prevent the individual from escaping.
regarding the death of Powell, Landers told CBS News that it was not the outcome they hoped for but the community “can rest knowing this armed and dangerous individual” is no longer a threat to the community."
