Florida sheriff: Escaped murder suspect caught in Ohio

A murder suspect who escaped from a Florida jail earlier this week was nabbed after a police chase in Ohio Saturday morning, officials said.

Rondell Reed, 52, escaped with his cellmate, Leviticus Taylor, Monday from the Indian County Jail, officials said. Taylor, 25, who was quickly captured, was convicted of murder last month, according to CNN West Palm Beach affiliate WPBF.

According to Indian County Sheriff Deryl Loar, Reed was arrested after the chase ended in a crash in Warren County, north of Cincinnati. An officer had tried to initiate a traffic stop when Reed allegedly drove away.

Subject of a nationwide manhunt, Reed had been on the lam for nearly a week.

“Rondell Reed is very smart. He is not a stupid crook,” said Indian County Det. Steven Stoll. “He is very good at auto theft. It’s what he did growing up. He knows how. “

Authorities believe Reed was headed for Indiana, where he has family. Loar told reporters earlier this week that the suspect stole a vehicle, likely in the Sebastian area. The vehicle that crashed Saturday was a different one, possibly obtained in Georgia, he said.

In April, Reed was arrested in the death of an Indian County business owner, WPBF said.

In Ohio, Reed faces charges of receiving stolen property, failure to comply with a police officer, carrying a concealed weapon and having a weapon under disability, according to Warren County’s website.

Loar said corrections deputies performed hourly checks of Reed and Taylor in their cells, but items they used to create dummies gave the appearance that they were tucked in their sheets when in fact they were making their getaway, WPBF reported.

“The River County Jail has been hardened again, not only after the immediate escape, (but) continuing through this week,” Loar told reporters Saturday. “This incident will not happen again under my command.”