CLEVELAND, Ohio — "T.J. Lane spent the first 18 months in prison playing with Pokemon cards, using drugs, refusing to listen to prison guards and drawing the word "Killer'' on a notebook during an education class, state records show.
The documents, obtained by The Plain Dealer on Monday, suggest that Lane, 19, was an immature young man who, despite his outward appearances, was not ready for a life behind bars. His escape from the Allen Correctional Institution – and recapture hours later – made national headlines and raised questions about how the convicted Chardon High School shooter could break out.
The prison system's records released Monday highlight and chronicle Lane's issues in prison for the first time. He was disciplined seven times for a variety of offenses, from refusing to listen to a teacher and a guard to using marijuana and placing three tattoos on his chest.
In all but one offense, he was given minor penalties, such as the loss of recreation or reprimands. The records detail how prison officials dealt with Lane and, in some cases, his reactions to officials.
On Aug. 21, 2013, a teacher said Lane refused to take part in a class, a note that indicates Lane's stubbornness and immaturity.
"Mr. Lane cannot come to terms with having the job classification of student," the teacher wrote. "He sits in class and refuses to do anything, including reading. He sits and complains that education makes him ill, that he gets migraines because of it. He cannot read as it hurts his neck. He cannot utilize the computer, as it makes his migraine worse. The only thing he has done is bother the fellow students at his table with his complaints about our making him attend school.
"He also does not wear deodorant to the point no one wants to sit next to him. I keep giving him options of puzzles, math games, reading, computers, etc., and he refuses. I had allowed him to draw in class, but now he even refuses to do that. The previous drawings were of himself with 'killer' on them and then drawings of kitty cats over his math assignment. I gave him several warnings in class about some participation. He remains stubborn with his refusals."
The report underscores two key points from Lane's case in Geauga County: the drawing of the word "killer" shirt and his schoolwork.
Lane pleaded guilty to killing Demetrius Hewlin, 16; Russell King Jr. 17; and Daniel Parmertor, 16 on Feb. 27, 2012, in the school's cafeteria. He also pleaded guilty to shooting and injuring Joy Rickers, Nick Walczak and Nate Mueller. On the day of the shooting, Lane wore a shirt with the word "Killer'' on it. He again scrawled the word on a T-shirt that he wore to his sentencing, when a judge gave him three life prison terms.
Lane's actions in the prison classroom also go against what he initially told authorities after he was arrested: that he wanted to enroll in college and study mental illness.
On Aug. 22, 2013, a day after a teacher sharply criticized him for failing to work, the same teacher wrote: "I could no longer tolerate his behavior.'' She then kicked him out of the class.
In November, Lane submitted a urine sample that was tested at a hospital. Records show it contained substantial levels of marijuana in his system. He also had high levels of the drug Dilantin in his system. A prison official recommended Lane spend 15 days in solitary confinement. It is unclear the exact length of the punishment.
On Aug. 28, a guard said he saw Lane urinate on a prison wall. Lane's response: "The officers didn't come to let us back in to use the restroom, and I had to go bad."
A question on the report asks: "Is the inmate currently on the mental health caseload or does the inmate show signs of serious mental illness?" The response is redacted. A prison official said the conduct report on the case had been withdrawn.
Last Friday, the day after Lane and two others escaped from the prison and were apprehended, a guard went into his cell. Lane was shipped that day to the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown, which is the state's only super-maximum prison.
The guard said there were several things left behind: a blanket, T-shirts and shorts, Pokemon cards, 15 books and miscellaneous papers.
In the Youngstown prison, Lane will be forced to spend 23 hours a day in a cell the size of a small parking space. He will get an hour of recreation."
T.J. Lane’s disciplinary history:
http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1301740/t-j-lane-disciplinary-history.pdf
By John Caniglia, The Plain Dealer
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on September 15, 2014 at 4:31 PM, updated September 16, 2014 at 7:01 AM
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