Greene County fugitive found in Texas

A man who cut off his ankle monitor and failed to show up for the third day of his trial in Greene County was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas.

Willie Russell was on trial in December in Greene County Common Pleas Court for various drug charges. He didn’t show up on the third day of the trial and had not been seen since, Fairborn police said.

He was on electronic monitoring, but cut off his ankle monitor before his trial resumed, officials said. His trial continued and he was found guilty of multiple counts of trafficking and possession of drugs. The judge sentenced Russell to 23 years in prison.

A+ Bail Agency Investigators and the Fort Worth Police Department arrested Russell on Monday.

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“In our investigation we learned that he had been aided by multiple girlfriends and friends. We got lucky on Sunday, (Dec. 12) and followed his girlfriend Jayona Franklin to a Greyhound bus station. The chase took us to multiple states and a couple of bus transfers ending in Fort Worth,” the bond agency said in an emailed statement.

Russell will be transported back to Ohio.

“As always, we are excited when a fugitive from justice is taken into custody. We look forward to Mr. Russell’s return to Ohio and for him to start serving his prison sentence,” said Fairborn Police Sgt. Ben Roman.

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