COLUMBIANA CO. Police hunt for man in alleged rape

The suspect has eluded authorities for about one year.
LISBON -- A hunt continues by the Columbiana County Sheriff's Department for a Salineville man accused of raping a 13-year-old.
William Jones, 32, last known to live on High Street in Salineville, is being sought in an alleged rape that occurred about a year and a half ago in Salineville, Detective Sgt. Allan Young said.
The department released a wanted poster and sought help from the press and the community to locate Jones on Thursday.
Young said the rape occurred at a residence, but he declined to release any other details, including the sex of the accuser.
He said his department obtained an arrest warrant at Columbiana Common Pleas Court for Jones after he was indicted on the rape charge by a grand jury in August 2004.
"Jones is well aware of the warrant. I contacted Jones' attorney to arrange for Jones to turn himself in, but he failed to do so," Young said.
The detective said Jones has been sighted several times at various locations in the region but has eluded capture.
"Jones is somewhere in the Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia tri-state area," Young said. "We've been looking for him for about a year." Jones was described by the sheriff's department as white with brown hair and eyes, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 145 pounds.
Anyone spotting him or knowing his whereabouts should call the department at (330) 424-7255.