LISBON - Four inmates who broke out of the Columbiana County Jail earlier this month will face preliminary hearings on felony escape charges Thursday in county Municipal Court.
William Merritt, 40, and Mark Foden, 38, both of East Liverpool, Jason Heffner, 28, of Salineville, and John Hamilton, 21, of Salem, appeared via video from the county jail for arraignment on the charges Friday, with bonds of $250,000 cash or surety set.
Heffner's girlfriend, Melissa McCulley, 26, of Salineville, appeared for arraignment Monday for a felony charge of complicity to escape, with a bond of $50,000 cash or surety set. She'll also face a preliminary hearing Thursday.
The four inmates broke into a locked closet, through an access door and then crawled through duct work until they reached a hatch door to the roof. They broke through to the outside, then jumped to the ground to make their escape, according to investigators. Officials also suspected they stole a car from a Trinity Church Road property in Lisbon.
All four men and McCulley were found with the car in Bellevue, Pennsylvania, where they were taken into custody.
According to Sheriff David Smith, personnel of the private company operating the jail may not have done a proper head count, leading to a late discovery of the fact that four inmates were gone. CiviGenics officials are preparing a report to provide to county commissioners and the sheriff regarding the investigation and the action they'll take in response to the escape.
Commissioner Jim Hoppel said they aren't expecting the report until the end of this week.
