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T.J. Lane, Escaped Ohio School Shooter, Had Pitchfork: State Patrol

The convicted killer of three students who briefly escaped from an Ohio prison last week had a pitchfork when he was captured, the state patrol said.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The convicted killer of three students who briefly escaped from an Ohio prison last week had a pitchfork when he was captured, the state patrol said Monday. School shooter T.J. Lane did not threaten officers with the tool and it hadn't been determined where he got it from, said Lt. Craig Cvetan. In addition, a state lawmaker briefed on the escape Friday said Allen Correctional Institution added extra razor wire to the fence in the area of the escape afterward. State Rep. Matt Huffman, whose Lima district includes the prison, said state officials said the wire was added almost immediately.

Prisons spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said additional security measures were put in place but she declined to provide specifics. Also Monday, new prison discipline records released by the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction added to the picture of Lane as an inmate frequently in trouble behind bars. Lane argued with instructors in education courses, was found with marijuana in his system, gave himself three tattoos in violation of prison rules and worked out in a weight room despite a direct order not to, according to the records. "Another day of Mr. Lane refusing to do anything in education," an official said in a conduct report on Aug. 22, 2013. Almost two months later, on Oct. 10, Lane was cited for telling an instructor he didn't need to take his class.

Lane also urinated on a wall on prison grounds last month, and on Friday, the morning after the escape and while back in custody, he was found with excess property in his cell, including clothes, 15 books and Pokemon video game cards, according to prison records provided to The Associated Press through an open records request. Prison officials confiscated the items. The book titles weren't available, Smith said.

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— The Associated Press