A jail escapee and his girlfriend who managed to flee Columbiana County landed themselves in a West Virginia jail after crashing a stolen car into a nursing home during a police pursuit early Friday.
Larry Jan Williams, 35, whose last known address was 444 Thomas Road, Lisbon, and Candy Kibler, 37, of the same address, will face extradition back to Ohio as fugitives from justice.
Felony charges of escape and vandalism had been filed in Columbiana County against Williams, who escaped the Columbiana County Minimum Security Misdemeanant Jail late Wednesday after breaking out a window. A felony charge of obstructing justice had been filed against Kibler after investigators determined from a witness that she was traveling with Williams, knowing he had escaped.
Now the pair will likely face even more charges for their actions along the getaway route. Chief Deputy Allen Haueter of the Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office reported Friday that what was suspected as the initial getaway car, a Ford Thunderbird stolen from a Depot Road property in Lisbon, was discovered in Wooster. He alleged they stole another car, a Chevy Beretta, from the Wooster area, which was later recovered at the site of the crash in West Virginia.
Columbiana County received notification about the arrests sometime after midnight, early Friday.
According to a press release from Lewisburg, W.Va. Police Chief Tim Stover , Lewisburg Police Officer P.R. Wickline noticed a car driving erratically, ran the registration and discovered the car had been reported stolen from Ohio.
When he attempted a traffic stop, the vehicle sped off through Fairlea down Davis Stuart Road, turned onto Rocky Hill Road and traveled across a field into the parking lot of the Brier Nursing Home, crashing into the kitchen area, the press release said.
No one in the facility was injured, but 24 residents were evacuated as a precaution due to a ruptured natural gas line related to the crash. According to the press release, both Williams and Kibler were taken to Greenbrier Valley Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries, then moved to the Southern Regional Jail in Beckley, W.Va.
Besides the fugitive from justice charge, Williams was also charged with transferring stolen property. Additional charges may be filed.
Since the escape, Haueter said steel fabricated slats were welded to the windows on the jail building which face the parking lot and aren’t behind a fence.
Sheriff David Smith said Thursday the escape may have been prompted by a telephone call between Williams and Kibler on Wednesday when she told him about an alleged domestic dispute with an ex-boyfriend, causing him to become upset. Investigators talked to Kibler at the home she
shared with Williams around 12:30 a.m. Thursday and she claimed she didn’t know he had escaped. A couple hours later, another subject called to report Williams and Kibler had just left a Kensington property together.
Williams had been slated for release in August for some misdemeanor charges from March of this year, including driving under suspension, possession of criminal tools, criminal trespass and public indecency, according to county Municipal Court records.
Kibler already had four open cases in county Municipal Court, according to the records, for charges of domestic violence, theft and two counts of driving under suspension.
Mary Ann Greier can be reached at mgreier@salemnews.net
