ASHLAND, Ohio – Workers at a small Ohio store say an escaped prison inmate asked to use the phone and bought an iced tea at a counter where his mug shot was displayed before a customer tackled him.
They say James David Myers was tied up with rope off the shelf until authorities arrived at the Olivesburg General Store in Ashland on Thursday night, less than 24 hours after Myers was pronounced missing from a prison a few miles away in Mansfield.
The store owner says the 47-year-old was in a white T-shirt and dark pants when he tried to cover his picture on the counter with change from his pocket. Employees later noticed he'd been carrying a coat labeled with the prison's abbreviation.
Authorities have refused to discuss how Myers escaped.
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