OLNEY, Ill. (WTWO/WAWV) — After a 5-day search, the Richland County Sheriff’s Office said they have located a man who had escaped after failing to arrive at the sheriff’s office to turn himself in.
According to Sheriff Andrew Hires with the Richland County Sheriff’s Office, Nathan Ellison had been charged multiple times with failure to register as a sex offender, due to this Ellison had pleaded guilty to at least one of these charges and took a plea of six years in the Department of Corrections as his punishment.
Rather than being held after his conviction a Facebook post from the Richland County Sheriff’s Office states that the newly issued Safety Act allowed Ellison to be released on electronic home monitoring.
Sheriff Hires stated that, Ellison was required to turn himself in at the sheriff’s office to be taken to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
After an investigation, the sheriff’s office found that he was dropped off in the parking lot of the sheriff’s office by his mother and girlfriend, Olivia Pipher, but instead of going inside to turn himself in, he went into a nearby business where he went into the bathroom, cut off his ankle monitor, threw it in the trash and ran off according to Sheriff Hires.
Then after receiving multiple tips on Ellison’s location, the sheriff’s department said on January 13, members of the Richland County Sheriff’s Office and Olney Police Department were given consent to search a home in Olney, IL.
Inside the home Ellison was located and placed into custody.
After additional follow up investigations were conducted, Ellisons girlfriend, Olivia Pipher, was arrested and charged with concealing or aiding a fugitive, a class 4 felony.
According to Sheriff Hires, Pipher originally cooperated with law enforcement after Ellison failed to turn himself in, however Hires said, Pipher was allegedly back in contact with Ellison 24 hours after being dropped off at the sheriff’s office parking lot.
Ellison and Pipher were both transported to the Richland County Detention Center.
Ellison is being held in custody pending a transfer to the Illinois Department of Corrections. Ellison will also be facing additional charges for escape.
