By Greg Sowinski
The Lima News
LIMA — The warden at the local prison has been reassigned to another job in Columbus and the deputy warden demoted as a result of the September escape of three inmates, a prison spokeswoman said Tuesday.
“Through the findings of review to date, an opportunity for a change in leadership at the prison was brought about. At the director’s request, [Warden] Kevin Jones has accepted a position at the operations support center as a regional recovery service supervisor,” said JoEllen Smith, the spokeswoman for the state prison system.
Smith called Jones’ change in job title “reassigned” instead of a demotion but said it comes with a lower salary. There also is a two-hour drive to Columbus, one way, unless he sells his home in Lima and moves to the state capital.
Jones began his career with the state prison system in 1996 as a recovery services supervisor at Lima Correctional. He was promoted to deputy warden of operations in 2000.
Meanwhile, Ray Schaublin, who was deputy warden at Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution, was demoted to inspector, Smith said. Schaublin was hired at Lima Correctional Institution as a correctional officer in 1985. He was hired as the deputy warden of operations at AOCI in 2011 after serving as a deputy warden for three years at a prison in Toledo, Smith said.
“Those are the only personnel actions that have occurred at this time,” Smith said.
Officials at the state prison system appointed Sheila McNamara, the deputy warden of special services at the local prison, as acting warden until Monday when Ron Erdos, the department’s special operations commander, steps in as interim warden, Smith said.
It’s likely a permanent warden will be named sometime this month, Smith said.
Additional details on the internal review by the state prison system will not be released until the criminal case is over against Cliff Opperud, one of three inmates to escape, Smith said.
Opperud, Chardon High School killer Thomas “T.J.” Lane, and Lindsey Bruce, another killer, escaped Sept. 11. Bruce was caught running away but the search for Lane and Opperud continued for hours with each man caught nearby.
Lane and Bruce were not charged with escape because each man is serving at least one life sentence with no chance for parole. Allen County Prosecutor Juergen Waldick said he did not want to cost additional expense to taxpayers, create security risks while transporting the men, and did not want to give Lane another chance to taunt his victims and their families as he did during his sentencing in March 2013.