Jury indicts mother of jail escapee

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (AP) -- A grand jury on Friday indicted the mother of a man who escaped from a county jail while awaiting a death penalty trial in the shooting death of a police officer.
A Ross County grand jury returned two felony charges of obstruction of justice against Debra Flesher, the mother of defendant John Parsons, said Mike Ater, Ross County assistant prosecutor.
The charges say Flesher, 54, of Frankfort, hindered the prosecution of her son and helped him avoid detection after escaping from the Ross County Jail last month, Ater said.
She faces up to five years in prison on each charge and a $10,000 fine. A message was left with her attorney, James Boulger, seeking comment.
Parsons was set to go on trial in October in the April 2005 shooting death of Chillicothe police officer Larry Cox.
Search warrants issued after his escape July 29 say Parsons called his mother from jail and told her to prepare for his arrival.
Parsons escaped from a recreation area on top of the jail in downtown Chillicothe, about 45 miles south of Columbus, during the middle of the day. He was spotted near a heavily wooded area about 12 miles outside of town two days later but a massive manhunt failed to find him and he remains at large.
A reward for his capture is up to $40,000. The television show. " America's Most Wanted," plans to air an episode on the escape next month.