News

Man Runs From Deputy On His Way To Jail

By:
Posted on:

< < Back to man-runs-deputy-his-way-jail

A Logan man who was given a recognizance bond of $50,000 in Hocking County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday decided to run from a sheriff deputy who was attempting to take him back to Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail.

As a result, Levi Koch, 22, will now face additional charges, including escape.

At his arraignment on Tuesday, Koch pleaded not guilty to charges of breaking and entering, theft, receiving stolen property and possession of criminal tools for an alleged crime at the residence of Dee Sinkovitz on Smith Chapel Road in June.

Hocking County Sheriff Deputy Sterling “J.R.” Dietrich was escorting Koch from the county courthouse to the sheriff’s office for transport to jail when Koch escaped from his leg shackles and ran down the alley towards Mulberry Street.

According to Dietrich, it’s believed Koch picked the lock to his leg shackles with a paper clip when he was inside the restroom at the sheriff’s office and then flushed the paper clip.

Video surveillance of the incident shows Dietrich yelling through the backdoor of the sheriff’s office to alert others of Koch’s escape. Seconds later, HCSO Sgt. Detective Ed Downs rushes out the back door followed by HCSO Office Manager Bruce Morgan, as well as an investigator from the Federal Bureau of Investigation who happened to be in the office at the time.

Koch was chased for a few blocks and a person who witnessed the chase pointed Downs and the investigator in the right direction. Officers from the Logan Police Department also were alerted of the escape and helped to find him.

They chased Koch until he disappeared near Cardaras Funeral Home on Second Street, and a nearby business indicated they witnessed him run behind the funeral home.

Koch was found lying in the back of a pickup truck behind the business. He was taken to SEORJ and now faces additional charges.

In January 2011, Koch pleaded guilty to burglary and theft as part of a plea agreement. Since he was still on probation from those crimes when the new charges were made in June, he has been ordered to serve additional jail time on the original charges.