HENDERSON, Ky. — Henderson police are searching for a man named Bradley Gillespie. On Tuesday, investigators discovered that he and another inmate, James Lee, escaped from Allen-Oakwood Correctional Facility in northwest Ohio.

.What You Need To Know

  • Bradley Gillespie, an escaped inmate who is still on the run, has been described as a 6-foot-tall, 200 pound, 50-year-old man wearing dark clothing

  •  He is bald and has blue eyes

  • Ohio officials are offering a $21,000 reward to anyone who has information directly linked to the fugitive’s arrest

“The reason I’m speaking with you today is I want the community and public to know that Mr. Gillespie is considered a very dangerous individual. There’s a possibility he is armed and we are very actively in pursuit of him at this time,” Henderson Police Chief Sean Mckinney said. 

They were spotted in Henderson, Kentucky early this morning when police attempted a traffic stop after reports that Gillespie and fellow inmate James Lee were driving inside a stolen car. 

But the inmates didn’t stop and officers chased the car until it crashed. After that, the inmates tried to run away.

Officers were able to grab Lee, but Gillespie got away.

 Gillespie has been described as a 6-foot-tall, 200 pound, 50-year-old man wearing dark clothing. He is bald and has blue eyes. 

“As time passes and you search the perimeter, you have to expand. Of course, now so much time has elapsed, he could literally be anywhere,” McKinney said.

The Henderson County Sheriff’s department, U.S. Marshal Taskforce and Kentucky State Police are helping to track down Gillespie.  

An article of clothing linked to Gillespie was found on the boat ramp near the Ohio River in Henderson. 

“We’ve searched by air, we’ve searched by canine, and we’re trying to track the last places we saw him. And we went through all there is we think he could’ve been and we’re going back and doing it again,” McKinney explained.

Police are encouraging residents to lock their doors and keep their eyes out for  Gillespie, and they are going house to house to make sure people knew he was on the loose. 

“We received a notification from the U.S. Marshal Service out of Ohio who gave us a warning that he’s possibly armed and their dealings with him in the past. So we just want to put that out there and we did not see a weapon or anything, but his history would indicate that there’s a good chance,” McKinney said.

The police chief advises residents to stay away from areas that could serve as a hiding spot. 

“Any dents, brushes or trees, any outbuildings, garages, any abandoned vehicles, abandoned buildings, anything of that nature. I would say this morning when he was in pursuit that he would look for shelter anywhere he could find it,” he said.

The Henderson County Sheriff, Chip Stauffer, says the Henderson Fire and Police Departments have a boat on the water along with other agencies monitoring the river banks of the last location he was spotted. 

Ohio officials are offering a $21,000 reward to anyone who has information directly linked to the fugitive’s arrest. 

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