FBI Captures Escaped Ohio Inmate Jerry Cooper in Louisville, Two Charged with Aiding Escape

Jerry Lee Cooper, an inmate accused of attempted murder and awaiting trial for a murder-for-hire plot, escaped from the Brown County Detention Center in Ohio on September 15 by breaking a window and fleeing with another inmate, Roy Gene Butler. The two stole a boat and crossed the Ohio River into Kentucky, where Butler was captured less than a day later, but Cooper remained on the run for a week. Cooper was apprehended by the FBI in Louisville, with assistance from multiple law enforcement agencies including Kentucky State Police and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. Additionally, a married couple from Ohio, Marlana and William Strausbaugh, were arrested and charged with helping Cooper flee to Louisville, facing charges including hindering prosecution and escape complicity. Law enforcement had warned that anyone assisting Cooper would face prosecution, and a $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to his capture. Cooper will now face escape charges along with his existing charges related to the murder-for-hire case.