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School Shooter T.J. Lane's Prison Time Included Drugs, Segregation

Before his failed prison break last week, Lane, 19, had seven violations while in jail, including marijuana use and self-mutilation, records show.
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Before his failed prison break, Ohio school shooter Thomas “T.J.” Lane racked up a poor record that reflected his trouble adjusting to life behind bars. His 18 months at Allen Correctional Institution were marked by seven violations, including smoking marijuana, self-mutilation and an insolent attitude toward superiors, discipline records released Monday show. Lane was given 10 days in segregation in July 2013 after corrections officers noticed he had three different tattoos on his chest — charging him with self-mutilation.

He’s also accused twice of refusing to carry out assignments while attending classes. “He sits and complains that education makes him ill (and) that he gets migraines because of it,” his records say. The teacher allowed him to stay in class and draw, but Lane would make images of himself with the word “killer” and doodle “kitty cats” over his math assignment.

Lane, 19, had busted out of prison late Thursday scaling a fence with two other inmates before they were all caught, police said. He was transferred from Allen Correctional Institution, a minimum/medium security prison, to Ohio’s only super-maximum prison in Youngstown. After the transfer, officers at his former facility found Lane’s cell had an array of prison contraband, including clothing, 15 books and Pokemon cards. Lane was sentenced in March 2013 for the fatal shooting of three students at Chardon High School — an attack he has never fully explained. On Monday, Allen Correctional added razor wiring along the security fencing and said they implemented other changes.

IN-DEPTH

— Erik Ortiz