Dad released from prison to attend daughter’s funeral is now a fugitive, Ohio cops say

A dad considered “armed and dangerous” is missing after he was temporarily released from prison for his daughter’s funeral, officials said.

Now, the United States Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Joe Fletcher’s arrest, the Akron Police Department said on Facebook.

Fletcher, 34, was once called “one of Akron’s most dangerous individuals” in a 2015 news release from the Northern District of Ohio U.S. Attorney’s Office. At the time, Fletcher had been sentenced to about four years in prison on a charge of illegal possession of a firearm.

Before Fletcher was granted a furlough from prison, he was accused of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, police said.

A judge granted Fletcher the temporary release and he was allowed to attend his daughter’s funeral Wednesday with no security measures, WKYC reported. There were no guards or GPS monitoring on Fletcher, the station reported.

Prosecutors did ask for safeguards, the Akron Beacon Journal reported, because Fletcher is known to be a flight risk.

“However, given defendant’s clear intent to avoid apprehension and threats to use violence to that end, as shown on multiple occasions, the risk of flight and the danger to the community are too great to allow Defendant to be released on bond, even for that short time,” prosecutors said in their court filing, according to the newspaper. They requested he be escorted by the U.S. Marshals Service while on prison furlough.

Despite that request, Fletcher was released into his mother’s custody, the Beacon Journal reported.

Fletcher was told he could only visit the funeral home and local hall from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, the U.S. District Court said, according to WJW.

He then failed to return to prison following his release, police said on Facebook. He’s “known to be in the Akron, Ohio, area and should be considered armed and dangerous,” police said.

Police described him as a Black male, about 5 feet 11 inches tall, about 240 pounds and with multiple tattoos. One tattoo is across his neck, as shown in his mugshot.

“Anyone found to be aiding Fletcher will be charged accordingly in federal court,” police said.

Anyone with information on where Fletcher may be can remain anonymous by calling the the U.S. Marshals Tipline: 1-866-4-WANTED.

This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 3:48 PM with the headline "Dad released from prison to attend daughter’s funeral is now a fugitive, Ohio cops say."