Escaped Ohio inmate captured in Louisville after week on the run

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – An escaped Ohio inmate who had been on the run in Kentucky for more than a week has been caught.

The FBI says 48-year-old Jerry Cooper was arrested Monday night in the Louisville area with the help of multiple law enforcement agencies, including deputies from Mason County. Investigators say two other people are now facing charges for allegedly driving Cooper to Louisville.

According to Kentucky State Police, Cooper and another inmate broke out of the Brown County Detention Center in Ohio on September 15. Investigators say they escaped through a window, ran to the Ohio River, stole a boat, and crossed into Kentucky.

The second inmate was caught the following day in Mason County.

Cooper was awaiting trial on charges tied to an alleged murder-for-hire plot.