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Monday, April 28, 2025

Wayne Pletcher and Seven Others Plea Guilty in Jail Escape Case

On April 21, 2025, Wayne S. Pletcher pleaded guilty to charges related to his escape from Muskingum County Jail in February.

Seven individuals in connection with his escape appeared in court last week, alongside Wayne Pletcher to plead guilty to charges related to their involvement.

Judge Cottrill accepted guilty pleas from all eight defendants and schedules sentencings for a later date. The State of Ohio and the defendant’s attorneys will make sentencing arguments at that time.

Two other people linked to Wayne Pletcher’s escape plead guilty earlier this year. Eliveea Largent is waiting for sentencing. Joshua L. Riggs received a prison sentence of 2 years and 6 months.

Ten people total, including Wayne Pletcher, have either been sentenced to prison or are facing prison for their involvement with his escape from the Muskingum County Jail.



Details of the Case:

On February 1, 2025, Wayne S. Pletcher escaped from Muskingum County Jail. He enlisted several friends and family to assist him in his escape and to aid him afterward.

Had Pletcher remained in jail and received sentencing for his original charges he would have faced a maximum sentence of 36 months in prison and 90 days in jail. He is still awaiting sentencing for these charges.

For charges related to his escape, Pletcher faces a maximum sentence of 16 years behind bars.

At sentencing, the Judge will decide how Pletcher will serve his prison sentences — either all at once or one after the other.

If the Judge imposes concurrent sentences, Pletcher would serve both sentences at the same time, meaning he’d only stay in prison for the longer of the two — up to 16 years plus any time added for violation of post release control conditions.

If the Judge imposes consecutive sentences, he will first serve time for the charges related to his escape, and then begin serving time for the charges from his original arrest, one after the other — resulting in a longer total time in prison.



Wayne S. Pletcher

Alongside his escape from the jail Wayne Pletcher switched the license plate on Laken Hammond’s van with a stolen license plate to further aid his flight from Zanesville. Authorities located the van with the stolen plate at a cemetery in Chandlersville.

Pletcher pleaded guilty to three charges: Escape, a second-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 8-12 years; Tampering with Evidence, a third-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 36 months; and Receiving Stolen Property, a fifth-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 12 months.

At the time of his escape, Pletcher was on post-release control. Assistant Prosecutor Warren Edwards will argue that his violation of the conditions of his post-release control should be considered during sentencing.

Without factoring in post-release control, Wayne S. Pletcher faces a maximum sentence of 16 years in prison.



Sara E. Moore

On February 1, 2025, at 4:16pm Wayne Pletcher made a call to Sara Moore and told her that he could break out of the jail. She agreed to help him. At 5:03pm, Wayne called Sara again as she approached the jail. They remained on the phone until Sara arrived at the lobby of the jail where she held the door open for Pletcher to escape the jail.

Video recordings show Sara and Wayne running across the street from the jail and getting into Sara’s car which they used to flee the jail.

Around 7pm deputies found Sara’s car at Hammonds home on Archer Lane. Moore continued to avoid capture with Pletcher until they were both caught on February 4,2025, at the home of Eliveea Largent and Leona Dejesus.

Moore pleaded guilty to two separate charges: one count of Complicity in the Commission of an Offense, a second-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 8 years. One count of Obstructing Justice, a third-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 36 months. Moore faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison.



Laken Hammonds

During her interview, Hammonds advised deputies that Sara arrived at her home on February 1, 2025, and asked to use her van, which she allowed. Soon after, Pletcher changed out of his jail uniform in Hammonds’s driveway and left his uniform in Sara’s car.

Pletcher and Moore then continued their escape in Hammond’s van until it was found abandoned at a cemetery in Chandlersville.

Hammonds pleaded guilty to two counts of obstructing justice, both a third-degree felony. Each count carries with it a maximum sentence of 36 months. She faces a maximum sentence of 6 years in prison.



Lindsey Richards

February 1, 2025, Richards, knowing Pletcher had escaped, allowed him and Sara Moore into her and Joshua Rigg’s home. Moore requested drugs from Richards and Riggs during their visit, which they arranged. After Moore received her drugs, she and Pletcher left.

Richards pleaded guilty to one count of Obstructing Justice, a third-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 36 months.



Vanessa Cooper

February 1, 2025, the night of Pletcher’s escape, deputies interviewed Vanessa Cooper, Pletcher’s ex-girlfriend. During the interview, Cooper admitted that Wayne had called her and told her he was in Laken Hammonds’ van and was headed to Florida. After the interview, deputies soon uncovered Cooper’s deception – she had withheld information from the deputies and aided Pletcher’s escape.

On February 3, 2025, investigators found and searched Laken Hammond's van in Chandlersville, where they located a receipt for a phone at Dollar General on Maysville Pike. This receipt was for 2/1/25 at 5:58 PM, less than an hour after Wayne's escape from the jail.

When deputies went to the Dollar General for the store's video footage, they found that Vanessa Cooper worked at the store. Only then did Vanessa admit that Wayne showed up shortly after he escaped, informing her that he had escaped from the jail and needed a phone. Cooper bought Pletcher a phone and walked him out of the store where she saw Pletcher leave in Laken’s van.

On April 21, 2025, Vanessa Cooper pleaded guilty to two counts of Obstructing Justice, both felonies of the third degree. Each felony has a maximum sentence of 36 months. Cooper faces a maximum sentence of 6 years in prison.



Christina Webb

February 2, 2025, Christina Webb, Pletcher’s sister, received a call from Pletcher in need of a ride. Aware of his escape from jail, she picked up Pletcher near the cemetery where Hammond’s van was found and transported him to the home of Eliveea Largent and Leona DeJesus. Webb’s car she used to transport Pletcher was considered a criminal tool in charging, as was her phone.

Webb pleaded guilty to two charges: Obstructing Justice, a third-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 36 months, and Possessing Criminal Tools, a fifth-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 12 months. Webb faces a maximum sentence of 4 years in prison.



Leona DeJesus

Pletcher was eventually captured on February 4,2025 at the home of Leona DeJesus and Eliveea Largent. DeJesus, Wayne S. Pletcher’s niece, knowing he had escaped from jail, let him into her home to stay overnight, more than once.

Reports show that Dejesus also allowed Pletcher to use her phone to send messages and assisted him in giving directions to Rigg’s when he delivered drugs to her home for Moore. Dejesus also admitted to deleting Facebook Messenger from her phone where the messages were stored because she was scared, she would go to jail.

DeJesus pleaded guilty to 3 counts: two counts of Obstructing Justice, a third-degree felony with each count holding a maximum sentence of 36 months and Tampering with Evidence, a third-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 36 months. Leona faces a maximum sentence of 9 years in prison.



James W. Pletcher

James W. Pletcher, Wayne's father, communicated with Wayne before his escape on February 1, during which Wayne indicated he would be leaving jail soon. Despite evidence from recorded calls, James denied any conversation with Wayne. Photos of James’ call log were taken. Reports state that after comparing the recorded calls from the jail and his call log, James deleted his calls with Wayne from his phone.

Investigations further revealed that James provided financial support to Wayne after his escape to help him avoid being caught.

James Pletcher pleaded guilty to two charges: Obstructing Justice, a third-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 36 months, and Tampering with Evidence, also a third-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 36 months. James Pletcher faces a maximum sentence of 6 years in prison.



Time is critical in situations such as this escape. None of the defendants that played a part in Wayne Pletcher's escape from jail were forthcoming to the authorities, delaying Pletcher's capture.

Assistant Prosecutor Warren T. Edwards plans to argue for the maximum sentence at each of the defendants' sentencing hearing. By helping a fugitive evade justice, every person who was indicted pleaded guilty to obstructing justice and must be held accountable. Edwards drives this point home by adding, “the public needs to know that aiding fugitives comes with a heavy price.”

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