The man who escaped from a correctional facility in April and was part of a police chase pleaded guilty to a count of failure to comply Thursday.
Troy Brandon Tyler Byrd, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of failure to comply, a third-degree felony, during a change of plea hearing in Delaware County Common Pleas Court.
The hearing was scheduled after Byrd reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. As part of the agreement, prosecutors and Byrd’s attorney, Jonathan Klein, jointly recommended that Byrd be sentenced to one year in prison.
According to prosecutors, Byrd escaped the SEPTA Correctional Facility in Nelsonville, Ohio on April 1 with the help of his girlfriend Jamie Victoria Jarrett, 38, of Galloway. Jarrett pleaded guilty to an identical failure to comply charge on Wednesday and testified that on April 4 they came to Delaware County to meet up with a friend of Jarrett’s at Dollar General.
Jarrett testified that while they were waiting, Delaware police officers arrived and attempted to apprehend the couple.
At his change of plea hearing, Byrd testified that he told Jarrett to keep driving because he didn’t want to get arrested in Delaware County. Byrd told Delaware County Common Pleas Judge Everett Krueger that he only told Jarrett to drive one time during the chase but Assistant Delaware County Prosecutor Cory Goe said that Jarrett previously told police that Byrd gave her numerous directions.
The couple fled down U.S. 42 until they crossed into Union County and pulled off to the side of the road. The couple was apprehended by Delaware City Police and taken to the Delaware County Jail.
As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors and Jarrett’s attorney have jointly recommended that she be sentenced to two years in prison for fleeing police.
After accepting Byrd’s guilty plea, Krueger ordered a pre-sentence report and scheduled Byrd to be sentenced on Aug. 14 at 2:30 p.m. Jarrett is scheduled to be sentenced at 11 a.m. on Aug. 14.
Byrd told Krueger that he was in the SEPTA facility for a possession of heroin charge, a fifth-degree felony, and was on community control when he escaped from the facility. Byrd said the judge has sentenced him to serve several months in prison for violating community control.
Prosecutors report the couple is also facing charges in Athens County for the escape from the SEPTA facility.
Byrd and Jarrett are being held in the Delaware County Jail awaiting their pre-sentence investigations.
