WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP - The subject of Wednesday's massive manhunt is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 2 in Mansfield Municipal Court, according to Richland County authorities.
The missing 10-month-old toddler was recovered and the suspect in an Amber Alert chase was captured around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The suspect, Robert D. Beane, 27, had been hiding under an old tent in the vicinity of Mansfield Lucas Road.
Beane fled on foot with the missing toddler, also named Robert Beane, after crashing a stolen car on Mansfield Lucas Road shortly after 1:15 p.m. Beane is the child's biological father, but does not have custody of the boy.
Beane is currently being held in the Richland County Jail on a failure to appear warrant stemming from a 2016 indictment on a charge of possession of heroin. Beane failed to appear on May 30, 2018, for a change of plea and sentencing hearing in Richland County Common Pleas Court and a bench warrant was then issued for his arrest, according to court records.
Thursday, Richland County Sheriff's Office Maj. Joe Masi said everybody — all of the officers from numerous agencies — worked well together.
"It wasn't an easy task," he said of law enforcement who entered a large, densely wooded area during the massive search for the man and his son. "They entered that area knowing the suspect was potentially armed."
During a press conference at the Lucas Community Center shortly before 8 p.m. Wednesday, Capt. Jim Sweat of the Richland County Sheriff's Office said Beane was captured in a wooded area approximately a half-mile to a mile from the crash site "by a conglomerate of task force members" from the U.S. Marshals, the FBI and the Richland County ASORT (Allied Special Response Team).
Tactical units, including Richland County ASORT, the Ohio Highway Patrol Special Response Team (SRT) and tactical units from the US Marshals Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation found Beane and his son while conducting a methodical search of the woods.
According to authorities, the child appeared to have no injuries and was taken to a local hospital. Beane was taken to the Richland County Jail; Richland County Prosecutor Gary Bishop will review appropriate charges.
Residents who live where authorities were searching for Beane said it was an unusual sight for the area, near Lucas.
Resident Michael Lybarger said he was trying to drive home when he found Mansfield-Lucas Road was closed.
"It's not something you see everyday in Lucas, Ohio that's for sure," Lybarger said.
He said the manhunt took place just to south of his home; his children were watching the action from inside. He posted photos of the search on Facebook and tagged all of his neighbors.
"If they would have went north, they would have run into my house," he said.
Loretta Dunn, 87, who lives on Mansfield-Lucas Road near her son Myron Dunn, said the incident was kind of scary since the man was "armed and dangerous."
She had gone to "Christmas in July" in Medina with a senior group when her son called her to tell her she couldn't go home. She couldn't get in her driveway due to the manhunt, as the road was blocked by authorities.
She was able to get to her son's property and eventually get home.
"My son came and walked around the house with the dog and checked everything out. He told me not to go outside and to lockup," she said Thursday. "You hear about these things in Cleveland but not here."
The Richland County Sheriff’s Office thanked all of its local state and federal partners for their outpouring of assistance.
Participating agencies who were represented at the final briefing included Brian Fitzgibbon, enforcement supervisor/senior deputy US Marshal, US Marshals Service, Cleveland; Jodie Schumacher, first assistant prosecutor, Richland County Prosecutor’s Office; Gary Bishop, prosecuting attorney, Richland County; Jim Sweat, Richland County Sheriff’s Office; Maj. Joe Masi, Richland County Sheriff's Office; Lt. Amy Ivy, commander of the Ohio Highway Patrol's Mansfield post; Alvin Winston, assistant special agent in charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cleveland; Capt. Doug Noblet, Mansfield Police Department; and Det. Rich Miller, Mansfield Police Department and ASORT Commander, according to Shelby police Chief Lance Combs, who served as incident public information officer.
"We should have also mentioned that we were supported with equipment and coordination by the Richland County Emergency Management Office, as well as the Richland County Chapter of the Red Cross, who provided food and water to all first responders at the scene," Combs said.
Reporter Olivia Minnier also contributed to this report.