Change of pleas set for escapee

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A change of plea hearing has been set for the man who escaped from a correctional facility in April and the woman who assisted him.

Troy B.T. Byrd, 28, appeared in Delaware County Common Pleas Court on May 8 and pleaded not guilty to one count of failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony. After he entered his plea, he was scheduled to stand trial on June 26.

However, on June 21, a change of plea hearing for Byrd was scheduled for June 26 at 1:30 p.m.

Assistant Delaware County Prosecutor Cory Goe said that on April 1, Jamie Victoria Jarrett, 38, of Galloway, Ohio, assisted Byrd after he escaped from the SEPTA Correction Facility in Nelsonville, Ohio. Goe said that on April 4, law enforcement received a tip from a woman who said Jarrett came to her and asked her for help.

Police report they spotted Byrd in a vehicle driven by Jarrett at the Dollar General store on London Road in Delaware and attempted to pull the vehicle over, but Jarrett refused to comply. They led authorities on a 14-mile chase down U.S. 42 and into Union County where Jarrett eventually pulled over and she and Byrd were taken into custody.

Jarrett has been charged with failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony; one count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; and one count of obstructing justice, a fifth-degree felony.

Goe said the failure to comply charge rises to the level of a third-degree felony because Jarrett and Byrd caused a substantial risk to the public by traveling at speeds 10 miles per hour over the speed limit and running several red lights. Fleeing police and assisting Byrd are also the basis for the obstructing justice charge against Jarrett.

Goe said the tampering with evidence charge against Jarrett stems from her removing the SIM card from her cell phone and then throwing away the cell phone to prevent authorities from locating her with the phone’s GPS.

Jarrett is also scheduled to change her plea during a hearing at 1 p.m. on June 28.

At Byrd’s arraignment, Delaware County Common Pleas Judge Everett Krueger said the penalty for the third-degree felony failure to comply charge is between nine and 36 months in prison.

Goe said that Byrd is scheduled to be released from prison on Nov. 18, 2017, and that Byrd is expected to be charged with escape in Athens County Common Pleas Court.

Additionally, Krueger set Jarrett’s bond at $100,000 at her arraignment on April 19.

Jarrett was in the Delaware County Jail Thursday. Byrd was in prison Thursday. Both were indicted on April 14 by a Delaware County grand jury.

Byrd
http://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2017/06/web1_Troy-Byrd.jpgByrd

Jarrett
http://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2017/06/web1_jamie-jarrett.jpgJarrett

By Glenn Battishill

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Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.

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