CINCINNATI — An inmate lodged at the River City Correctional Center has escaped custody after he was taken to a hospital for medical treatment, according to River City Executive Director Scott McVey.
McVey said 50-year-old Gary L. Vanhoose arrived at River City on Friday "for treatment for a probation violation," though McVey did not say what that violation may have been.
Most recently, in June, Vanhoose was arrested and charged for allegedly stealing a car, but that case was ignored by the grand jury and he was never indicted on the charge, court records say. In May 2021, he was convicted on multiple felony theft charges after he stole an electric bicycle from a local business, according to court records.
Vanhoose has no violent criminal history in Hamilton County that court records show.
McVey said Vanhoose complained Friday, after his arrival at River City Correctional Center, of shoulder separation. After an X-ray, RCCC staff determined McVey's shoulder was completely separated and he needed to be taken to an emergency room.
Vanhoose was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center to be treated the next day, Saturday. At around 8 p.m. Saturday night, McVey said Vanhoose "AWOLed from UC Medical Emergency Room."
Vanhoose is a white, 50-year-old man who stands roughly six feet, three inches tall. He weighs roughly 210 pounds and has blue eyes. On his left arm, Vanhoose has a tattoo sleeve of "fire, faces and spider webs," says the description provided by McVey.
In 2022, River City Correctional Center was at the center of a WCPO I-Team investigation following a series of unrelated violent incidents and escapes in 2022. The investigation initially began after two inmates escaped through a window at the facility; days later, one of the escapees, Thomas Cromwell, held a woman hostage at knifepoint for about 12 hours before an officer shot and killed him.
Since then, River City has made changes to the facility — including admitting 50% fewer violent offenders to the facility. River City is designed to generally focus on lower-risk nonviolent felony offenders who are believed to be more likely to succeed in a minimum-security facility that provides treatment and eventually the opportunity to work off-site, according to ODRC.
RCCC adjusted their policy in 2022, so that when an inmate is taken to the hospital a River City staff member will be with them during their hospital stay. River City officials said that policy was followed and Vanhoose was "with staff per policy." I reached back out to ask whether River City can clarify how Vanhoose escaped despite being supervised by corrections staff, but have not heard back yet.
Watch Live:
