GOSHEN TOWNSHIP- The Akron man who escaped from the Leetonia Police Department booking room last week has been captured by Goshen police.
Albert Bell, 19, who fled the Leetonia police station on Jan. 24 after being arrested for having a reportedly stolen vehicle at the Cherry Valley Coke Ovens, was apprehended by Goshen officers on Smith-Goshen Road just north of U.S. Route 62 at approximately 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.
According to Goshen police, the Columbiana County Sheriff's Office alerted the department of Bell's presence in Damascus near the Pine Meadows golf course at 9:30 a.m. He reportedly cut across the property heading toward the Damascus Elementary School and was found hiding in tall weeds along Smith-Goshen Road between U.S. Route 62 and Garfield Road after an hour-long search conducted by Cpl. Joe Olinger, Det. Craig Crider and Patrolman Daniel Moser.
Bell was wanted on three felony charges, including those of escape and receiving stolen property out of Leetonia. He was transported to the Damascus Post Office and turned over to a deputy from the Columbiana County Sheriff's Office.
"I'd like to commend and thank the Goshen police department for assisting with the apprehension of this fugitive," said Leetonia Police Chief John Soldano, noting that the department had been actively searching for Bell since his escape. "This is just another example of how law enforcement agencies all work together to get the job done."
Bell had been loose since his escape from the booking room last week, when he slipped out of his handcuffs and sprinted past an officer who was filing paper work with the dispatcher. He had originally been arrested after the officer observed him and a female companion apparently sleeping in a reportedly stolen car out of Akron during the early morning hours. Believed to have family in the area, Bell reportedly claimed he and his companion had found the vehicle and climbed in to get warm.
Kevin Howell can be reached at khowell@salemnews.net
