On the morning of February 27, 2012, six students were shot at
Chardon High School
Chardon High School (commonly Chardon, Chardon High, or CHS), is a public high school in Chardon, Ohio, USA, serving students in grades 8- 12. The school is part of the Chardon Local School District, with admission based primarily on the locati ...
in
Chardon, Ohio
Chardon is a city in and the county seat of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,242 at the 2020 census. a 17-year-old male juvenile and former student of Chardon, who was a sophomore at Lake Academy Alternative School and used a bus in common with several victims. Lane used a .22 caliber handgun. Lane was soon arrested by police near his car parked outside the school. Lane was ultimately indicted on three counts of aggravated murder, two counts of aggravated attempted murder, and one count of felonious assault. Because of his age, he was detained as a juvenile pending a decision by the prosecution and court as to whether he would be tried as an adult.
Following a competency hearing, in May 2012, a judge determined that Lane was competent to stand trial. Later that month the decision was made to charge Lane as an adult. He pleaded guilty and received three consecutive life sentences without parole on March 19, 2013.
In February 2014 the families of the three deceased students and Nick Walczak filed a wrongful death suit in Lake County against the Chardon School District and Lake Academy Alternative School. The Lake County judge dismissed the District and Lake Academy as parties, retaining only five former and current employees of the Chardon School District and high school as defendants. The families appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case in July 2016. It was returned to the Lake County Common Pleas court.
In addition, attorneys representing the estates of the three deceased students filed federal and state wrongful death suits against the family of T.J. Lane, which was settled in May 2014, including settlement of suits against his father, maternal grandfather, and paternal uncle (and their associated insurance companies). The Lane family agreed to pay nearly 2.7 million dollars.
On September 11, 2014, Lane, along with two older inmates, escaped from
Allen Correctional Institution :''not to be confused with the Allen Correctional Center, Kinder, Louisiana''
The Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution (AOCI), also known as the Allen Correctional Institution, is a prison located in Lima, Ohio, a facility of the Ohio Department ...
in
Lima, Ohio
Lima ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75 in Ohio, Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton, southwest of Toledo, Ohio, T ...
. He was captured the following day, and the three men were transferred to a maximum security prison.
Details
The incident
Chardon High School was open in the morning before classes, and many students typically gathered in the cafeteria, some to get breakfast. Others waited there for a bus to classes at the related Auburn Career Center, a
vocational school
A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...
offering computer and other classes, and
Lake Academy
The Lake Academy Alternative School (usually referred to as Lake Academy)
The surveillance video showed a shooter, later identified as Thomas "T. J." Lane, shooting four male students at one table with a handgun; he wounded another. Fleeing the school, Lane shot a female student; he was chased out of the school by teacher Joseph Ricci and football coach Frank Hall. Lane was soon arrested by police outside the school near his car parked on Woodin Road.
Five students were hospitalized; three died of their injuries within two days. The severely injured Daniel Parmertor, Russell King, and Demetrius Hewlin were flown by helicopter to
MetroHealth Medical Center
The MetroHealth System is a nationally ranked non-profit, public health care system located in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1837 as City Hospital, The MetroHealth System serves the residents of the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. It is one ...
in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, approximately 31 miles by road. Joy Rickers and Nick Walczak were taken to local
Hillcrest Hospital
Hillcrest Hospital is a comprehensive-care hospital on Mayfield Road in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Cleveland Clinic Health System. The hospital currently has 500 registered beds, and serves as a level II trauma cente ...
. A sixth student, Nate Mueller, was superficially injured by a bullet grazing his right ear and did not need hospital treatment.
Murders
At noon on February 27, 2012, Chardon Police Chief Tim McKenna announced in a news conference that one of the victims had died. A spokeswoman for Cleveland's MetroHealth Medical Center identified him as 16-year-old Daniel Parmertor, a high school junior. His family issued a statement requesting that their privacy be respected. Parmertor had been in the cafeteria to wait for a bus to the Auburn Career Center
vocational school
A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...
in nearby Concord Township, where he studied computer science. He intended to work with computers.
At 12:42 a.m. the next day, Russell King, Jr., 17, was pronounced
brain dead
Brain death is the permanent, irreversible, and complete loss of brain function which may include cessation of involuntary activity necessary to sustain life. It differs from persistent vegetative state, in which the person is alive and some aut ...
at MetroHealth Medical Center. King, a junior, studied alternative energy technologies. He was enrolled at both Chardon High School and at the Auburn Career Center, and was also waiting for the bus. King's family released a statement thanking the public for support and offering sympathy to the families of other victims. They said that King's organs would be donated, as he had wished.
On February 28, 2012, Demetrius Hewlin, 16, the third student transferred to MetroHealth, was reported to have died. His family expressed their sorrow in a statement to the press. Friends of Hewlin said that he liked to work out and wanted to be on the football team. Hewlin's mother, Phyllis Ferguson, in an interview with
ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
, said of her son, "He wasn't a morning person and he was late for school. But that one day he wasn't late. We were running a little late, but we weren't late enough. But it's okay. It's in God's hands. Let His will be done." When questioned about what she would say to the assailant, she said that she would forgive him, because most school shooters did not know what they were doing. She said that her son's organs would be donated, and that she had learned one recipient was a child who was within days of death without a transplant.
Other victims
Seventeen-year-old Nick Walczak was shot several times, in the arm, neck, cheek, and back. He was taken to Hillcrest Hospital. Joy Rickers, 18, was released from Hillcrest Hospital on February 28. Nate Mueller, who was not hospitalized, was nicked in his right ear by a bullet. Mueller and Walczak, students at Auburn Career Center, were waiting in the cafeteria with King and Parmertor for the bus to their school.
Teacher actions
After the shooting, students praised two teachers, Frank Hall and Joseph Ricci, as heroes. Students expressed thanks to them for their "courageous actions" on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
. Hall was said to have charged at the shooter, who was aiming his gun at him. A student said that Hall frequently spoke of his caring for the students, which was shown by his actions.
Teacher Joe Ricci had just started his math class when he heard shots and ordered his students to "lock down". Hearing moaning outside the classroom, Ricci put on a bulletproof vest, opened the door, and dragged wounded student Nick Walczak into the classroom, where he administered first aid. Walczak's family credits Ricci with saving their son's life. A student described these teachers as "two of the greatest leaders in our school."
Perpetrator
Thomas Michael "T. J." Lane III (born September 19, 1994) was identified as the suspect by authorities late on February 27. Because he was a juvenile, authorities were reluctant to release his name, however ''
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...
'' had reported in the afternoon that law enforcement officials had surrounded a house belonging to Thomas Michael Lane, Jr., the suspect's father.
In their investigation, police also searched the home of Lane's maternal grandparents, Jack Nolan and his wife, in Chardon Township. Lane did not live there but frequently visited on weekends. The residence, along with other properties owned by the Lane family, was searched extensively on the day of the shooting. A nearby forest, which neighbors said the Lane children used for target practice, was also combed.
At the time of the shooting, Lane was taking classes as a sophomore at Lake Academy, an
alternative school
An alternative school is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional. Such schools offer a wide range of philosophies and teaching methods; some have strong political, scholarly, or philosophical orientati ...
in nearby Willoughby. The school, which is also known as the Lake County Educational Service Center, served 55 students in February 2012. They were referred there from public schools in the region because of academic or behavioral needs. Students who complete their educations at Lake Academy graduate with their classmates at the sending schools.
According to student witnesses, Lane had a personal rivalry with King, one of his victims. Witness Nate Mueller said that King had recently started dating Lane's former girlfriend. Other student witnesses said that Lane appeared to aim specifically at King that morning, indicating that he was the first to be shot of the students at his table. The students said that King had previously threatened to beat Lane up, and that Lane had taken up weightlifting in the previous year to prepare to fight King.
Four of the five victims at King's table were students at the Auburn Career Center, a vocational school. Lane and the Auburn students regularly took the same bus from Chardon to their other schools; Lake Academy was the farthest from the home school of Chardon. Lane had known some of the victims from
middle school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...
.
There were rumors that a warning about the shooting had been posted on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
but this was not verified. News agencies published excerpts from the
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
profile of a boy named "T. J. Lane". The profile did not give a location, but several of the user's friends were listed as being from Chardon. One entry in particular, dated December 30, 2011, caught attention: the last line read: "Die, all of you.""'Die, All Of You' T.J. Lane, Alleged Gunmen In High School Shooting, Writes Chilling Letter (DETAILS)" ''GlobalGrind''. Retrieved on February 27, 2012. According to a comment posted by Lane on January 20, 2012, he wrote that text as a class assignment.
Reactions of friends
A friend of Lane described him as "just a very normal teenage boy". She told
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
that she was in "complete shock" from the incident. She said that Lane often seemed sad, but appeared to be completely normal. Another friend said that Lane was regularly teased at school, which made Lane "put a wall around himself" and refuse to divulge personal information. A third student told reporters that Lane had come from "a really broken-down home". He was said to be a quiet person who could be nice to others if he felt comfortable with them.
Students at Lake Academy denied that he had been bullied. They described him as friendly and nice, but not very talkative.
Weapon
After Lane's arrest, law enforcement determined that the gun used in the shooting had been purchased legally by his uncle. Lane stole the .22-caliber handgun from him. The press reported that it was a Ruger MK III Target
.22 caliber .22 caliber, or 5.6 mm caliber, refers to a common firearms bore diameter of 0.22 inch (5.6 mm).
Cartridges in this caliber include the very widely used .22 Long Rifle and .223 Remington / 5.56×45mm NATO.
.22 inch is also a popular ...
handgun
A handgun is a short- barrelled gun, typically a firearm, that is designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun or machine gun, etc.), which needs to be held by both hands and also braced ...
. Reports were that the shooter dropped the gun as he fled from the scene, but it was found on the ground along with a knife near the shooter on Woodin Road when he was arrested. (Reference is photo evidence and statements on ID Impact of Murder)
Suspect's prior offenses
On February 29, 2012, Timothy J. Grendell, the juvenile court judge presiding over Lane's case, allowed the release of the suspect's juvenile records to the press. These are generally kept sealed. According to these, Lane was arrested twice in December 2009. The first time, Lane restrained his uncle while his cousin hit him. In the second case, Lane hit another boy in the face. To the second charge, Lane pleaded guilty to a count of disorderly conduct.
Community reaction
In the wake of the event, school district officials closed all Chardon schools on February 28. The School Department provided counseling and scheduled a gradual return to school for the students, teachers and staff, with school resuming in full on Friday, March 2, 2012. On the night of February 27, several vigils were held, including one at Assembly of God Church. A suggestion by a student on
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
, resulted in tens of thousands of residents wearing red, one of Chardon High School's
school colors
School colors (also known as university colors or college colors) are the colors chosen by a school as part of its brand identity, used on building signage, web pages, branded apparel, and the uniforms of sports teams. They can promote connectio ...
, on February 28 in support of the school.The United Way set up The Chardon Healing Fund to help those traumatized by the shooting. Donations of $150,000 had already been made when the new fund was announced on February 28.
In the evening of the day following the attack, thousands of people attended a vigil at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Chardon, where a funeral mass was scheduled for victim Daniel Parmertor, to take place the following weekend. As on February 28, people in attendance wore red. Chardon High School Principal Andy Fetchik spoke to rally the student body and encourage them to help each other during the healing process, while Kasich encouraged Chardon residents to support those who had lost loved ones.
John Kasich
John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician, author, and television news host who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001 and as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Kasic ...
issued a statement praising the Chardon Police and
Geauga County
Geauga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,397. The county seat is Chardon. The county is named for an Onondaga or Seneca language word meaning 'raccoon', originally the name of the ...
Sheriff's office for their handling of the incident and pledging support to the community. The following day, Kasich ordered that the flag at the
Ohio Statehouse
The Ohio Statehouse is the List of state and territorial capitols in the United States, state capitol building and seat of government for the U.S. state of Ohio. The Greek Revival building is located on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, ...
, as well as all flags in Geauga County, be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims.
The following day, President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
telephoned the school principal, expressing his condolences for the student victims, and saying that both he and First Lady
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...
were praying for the high school community.
Students return to school
On March 2, 2012, the students returned to school. A student from
West Geauga High School
West Geauga High School is a public high school in Chester Township, Ohio. It is the only high school in the West Geauga Local Schools district and serves Chester Township, Newbury Township, the Geauga portion of Hunting Valley, most of Russe ...
, her mother, and a neighbor organized a "Line Up At Chardon" event via Facebook to welcome students back to Chardon High School. They had a sign saying "
I'll Stand By You
"I'll Stand by You" is a song recorded by English-American rock band the Pretenders from their sixth studio album, '' Last of the Independents'' (1994). The song was written by Chrissie Hynde and the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy Ste ...
" (referring to the song by
The Pretenders
Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...
). More than 100 youths and children from surrounding school districts, including West Geauga, came to show support. Students of Chardon High School and their parents were given a "walk through" of the school. The senior class officers organised a procession for solidarity from Chardon Square to the school that morning.
Classes resumed the next day. The cafeteria, the crime scene, had been repainted and reorganized. The table where most of the victims had been sitting was covered with flowers and stuffed animals.
Funerals
On March 2, 2012, Fred Phelps, Jr. was reported to announce that the
Westboro Baptist Church
The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is a small American, unaffiliated Primitive Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, founded in 1955 by pastor Fred Phelps. Labeled a hate group, WBC is known for engaging in homophobic and anti-American pickets, as ...
(WBC) was planning to "street-preach" about the Ohio shooting at the funeral of Parmertor. Chardon resident Alex Pavlick organized a response via Facebook for people to form a barricade around St. Mary's Church, to protect Parmertor's family and funeral on March 3. By the day of the funeral, a human barricade consisting of thousands had readied, but the WBC protestors did not come.
Three days later Demetrius Hewlin's funeral was held at St. Mary's. Members of four motorcycle clubs, including the
Patriot Guard Riders
The Patriot Guard Riders (PGR) is an organization based in the United States whose members attend the funerals of members of the U.S. military and first responders at the invitation of a decedent's family.
The group forms a voluntary honor guard ...
, participated as part of the honor guard. The Patriot Guard had formed to provide a protective barrier for families of fallen soldiers at funerals that have been protested by the Westboro Baptist Church.
Hearings and trial
On February 28, 2012, at 3:50 p.m. (EST), a detention hearing was held for the suspect at
Geauga County
Geauga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,397. The county seat is Chardon. The county is named for an Onondaga or Seneca language word meaning 'raccoon', originally the name of the ...
Juvenile Court
A juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes that are committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal s ...
in Chardon. According to the ''LA Times'', in the United States teenage suspects under the age of 18 are considered juveniles and treated as such, unless and until prosecutors decide to charge them as adults. Thus, they are held in juvenile rather than adult facilities during detention until trial.
Judge
Tim Grendell
Timothy J. Grendell (born April 17, 1953) is a Republican politician who serves as judge on the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas. He was a member of the Ohio Senate from 2005 to 2011, and of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2000 until ...
began the proceeding by asking the media not to take photographs of the defendant until the court determined whether or not he would be tried as an adult. At the prosecutor's request, the judge directed that the attorneys refrain from speaking to the media regarding the proceeding. He outlined conditions under which the media could participate, including not taking any facial photographs of the defendant or his family. After hearing the prosecutor's argument for continuing the detention and receiving no objection, the judge ruled that detention, at the Portage-Geauga Juvenile Detention Center in
Ravenna, Ohio
Ravenna is a city in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Akron. It was formed from portions of Ravenna Township in the Connecticut Western Reserve. The population was 11,323 in the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Por ...
, should continue for 15 days. The issues of arraignment and possible transfer to adult court were put off to future dates. The judge stated that the prosecution had until March 1, 2012, to file charges.
After the hearing, prosecutor Dave Joyce indicated that he would attempt to try Lane as an adult and file three counts of
aggravated murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...
, among other charges, for the incident. At the hearing, the prosecutor said that Lane admitted to shooting 10 rounds of ammunition during the incident. Lane told police that he did not know the victims and that they were selected randomly. But student witnesses attested to Lane knowing the victims from school.
Outside defense attorneys observing the hearing raised concerns related to whether Lane's attorney was protecting his client's rights. First, a concern was raised that Lane's attorney agreed with the judge that the gag order would not go into effect until after the press conference that prosecutor Joyce held following the hearing. This exception to the order gave the prosecution the opportunity to announce the defendant's confession publicly, thus influencing the jury pool. A second concern regarded prosecutor Joyce's statement at the conference that Lane "is someone who's not well." Ian Friedman, a criminal attorney and past president of the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said that such things are generally said by defense attorneys. Another attorney said that, in this case, he would have filed a motion to ensure that the juvenile's mental health would be evaluated before the case was brought to the adult court. As of March 1, 2012, Lane's defense had filed no motions. On March 1, 2012, prosecutors formally charged Lane with three counts of aggravated murder, two counts of aggravated attempted murder, and one count of felonious assault. Lane did not enter a plea when he was arraigned on March 6.
Two additional defense attorneys were assigned to the case in March. The judge postponed the decision as to whether to try Lane as an adult until after a mental competency evaluation was completed. On April 9, Lane again appeared before Judge Grendell, who set the date for a competency hearing for May 2. He also scheduled a hearing for May 12 to determine whether the defendant would be tried as an adult.
The competency evaluation could have been requested by either the prosecution or the defense. One observing attorney said the judge might have made the decision himself. According to Ohio law, "a child may be found competent only if able to grasp the seriousness of the charges, if able to understand the court proceedings, if able to aid in the defense and if able to understand potential consequences. The law says a child with a mental illness or an intellectual or developmental disability may not be found competent."
Competency hearing
The competency hearing was held on May 2, 2012. Testimony was given by psychiatrist Phillip Resnick, who testified that Lane was mentally ill. He said the defendant was suffering from psychosis that caused hallucinations and loss of contact with reality, but it "does not interfere with Lane's ability to understand the charges against him." Judge Grendell determined at this hearing that Lane was competent to stand trial.
In June, the prosecutor determined to try Lane as an adult. He was indicted on the six charges that were filed earlier in March: three counts of aggravated murder, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of felonious assault. On June 8, he pleaded not guilty to those charges. His bail was set at US$1 million, and he was scheduled to be transferred from the juvenile detention center to county jail (for adults) on June 18. However, on June 20, a motion was filed with the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas stating that if someone were to pay a US$120 fee, Lane could remain in the Portage-Geauga County Juvenile Detention Center.
Guilty plea
On February 26, 2013, Lane pleaded guilty to the charges for which he had been indicted. On March 19, 2013, he was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without parole.
After entering the courtroom for the sentencing hearing, Lane removed his dress shirt to reveal a white T-shirt which had the word "KILLER" handwritten across the front. He smiled and smirked throughout the hearing. After being sentenced, Lane said to the victims' families and the courtroom, "This hand that pulled the trigger that killed your sons now masturbates to the memory. Fuck all of you," while giving the
middle finger
The middle finger, long finger, second finger, third finger, toll finger or tall man is the third digit of the human hand, located between the index finger and the ring finger. It is typically the longest digit. In anatomy, it is also called ...
to attendees.
Wrongful death suits, 2014
The families of the three deceased students filed wrongful death suits against T. J. Lane's family: his parents Thomas and Sarah, maternal grandparents Jack Nolan and his wife, and paternal uncle Daniel Lane (he replaced original defendant John Bruening in the suit). The last part was finally settled in May 2014. A federal lawsuit was settled in 2013 with members of the Lane family and
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Liberty Mutual Group is an American diversified global insurer and the sixth-largest Property insurance, property and Casualty insurance, casualty insurer in the United States. It ranks 71st on the Fortune 100 list of largest corporations in the ...
. Earlier in 2014, Nolan and his insurer, Nationwide Property & Casualty, Inc., settled. The final settlement brought the total to nearly $2.7 million, given that each of the three families received $890,000 (with each family paying 40% of their settlement to their respective attorneys). Judge Timothy Grendell of the Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court, who handled the estates of the three deceased students, chose to make the settlement terms public because of the high interest in the case and to warn families of consequences if "youth are allowed access to firearms."
On the second anniversary of the shooting, February 27, 2014, the families of the three deceased students, plus that of Nick Walczak as plaintiff, filed a wrongful death suit against the Chardon School District and Lake Academy Alternative School in Lake County Common Pleas court. Ruling that only Lane was responsible for the harm to these victims, Judge Joe Gibson dismissed the school districts and individual employees as parties to the suit, but retained five defendants who were current or former employees of the Chardon School District: "Schools Superintendent Joseph Bergant, Manager of Operations Dana Stearns, High School Principal Andy Fetchik, and Drew Trimble and Michael Sedlak, who were both assistant principals at the high school." The plaintiffs had argued that more could have been done to prevent the shooting. Gibson's decision was upheld on appeal by the 11th Ohio District Court of Appeals. The defendants appealed to the state supreme court, which in July 2016 declined to hear the case. It was returned to the lower court for resolution, with Judge John P. O’Donnell presiding.
2014 escape from prison
At 7:38 p.m on September 11, 2014, Lane escaped from
Allen Correctional Institution :''not to be confused with the Allen Correctional Center, Kinder, Louisiana''
The Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution (AOCI), also known as the Allen Correctional Institution, is a prison located in Lima, Ohio, a facility of the Ohio Department ...
in
Lima, Ohio
Lima ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75 in Ohio, Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton, southwest of Toledo, Ohio, T ...
, along with two older inmates. They used a makeshift ladder to scale a fence during recreation hours. 33-year-old Lindsey Bruce was quickly captured afterward. Lane and the other inmate, identified as 45-year-old Clifford Opperud of
Carlisle, Ohio
Carlisle ( ) is a city in northwestern Warren and southern Montgomery counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. The city is in Franklin Township, Warren County, Ohio and German Township, Montgomery County, Ohio.
The Warren Co ...
, who was serving a 12-year sentence for aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, and kidnapping, remained at large. Police conducted searches at a wooded area and a residential neighborhood near the prison.
At 1:20 a.m. the following day, Lane was captured near the woods, and Opperud was apprehended about three hours later.
Chardon High School was closed that same day, and counselors were made available to students and staff. Later in the day, Lane, Opperud, and Bruce were transferred to the
Ohio State Penitentiary
The Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) is a 502-inmate capacity supermax Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction prison in Youngstown, Ohio.
Throughout the last two centuries, there have been two institutions with the name Ohio Penitent ...
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...
. In the Youngstown prison, Lane was restricted to his cell for 23 hours a day, with one hour of recreation daily. As of March 2016, Lane was transferred to the
Southern Ohio Correctional Facility
The Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (commonly referred to as Lucasville) is a maximum security prison located just outside Lucasville in Scioto County, Ohio. The prison was constructed in 1972. As of 2022, the warden is Donald Redwood.
The ...
List of attacks related to secondary schools
This is a list of attacks related to secondary schools that have occurred around the world. These are attacks that have occurred on school property or related primarily to school issues or events. A narrow definition of the word ''attacks'' is use ...
The Plain Dealer
''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday.
As of Ma ...