PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — Hobert Roark, who authorities said escaped from Brown County Jail for the second time last December, was arrested Tuesday in Portsmouth.
Roark, 40, was found hiding in his girlfriend's basement along the 1500 block of Fourth Street, according to the Brown County Sheriff's Office. He and his girlfriend, 39-year-old Desiree Phillips, were arrested without incident Tuesday afternoon by US Marshals, Portsmouth Police and several other agencies.
Roark previously escaped from the jail in November 2020 by breaking a window and fleeing through an impound lot. He was captured a day later at a Goodwill store in Portsmouth. On Dec. 29, he again fled from the jail by breaking a window leading out to an impound lot.
He has been brought back to Brown County Jail in Georgetown, and Phillips is being held in the Scioto County Detention Center on obstruction of justice charges.
Roark's original charges included burglary, grand theft, receiving stolen property, failure to comply with a police officer, escape, vandalism, and possession of firearms under disability. He now faces additional escape and vandalism charges.
