2 inmates escape from Lima prison

Bradley Gillespie, left, and James Lee escaped Tuesday, May 23, 2023, from the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima.

Credit: Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction

Credit: Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction

Bradley Gillespie, left, and James Lee escaped Tuesday, May 23, 2023, from the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima.

Two inmates escaped Tuesday from the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima, including one who was convicted of murder.

The escaped inmates were identified as Bradley Gillespie, 50, a white bald man with blue eyes who weighs 200 pounds; and James Lee, 47, a white man with brown hair and blue eyes who weighs 300 pounds.

“Please be aware and use caution. If you see either inmate please DO NOT APPROACH. Immediately call 911,” the Allen County Sheriff’s Office posted on social media.

Multiple county, state and federal agencies are activity working to find the escaped prisoners, the sheriff’s office said.

Gillespie is serving 15 years to life in prison for a 2016 murder conviction in Paulding County, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction.

Lee is serving up to 13 years for a burglary conviction in Allen County plus convictions for safecracking and breaking and entering in Auglaize County, ODRC records show.

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