Ashland murder suspect could have been in jail

Jul. 14—The suspect in the June double homicide in East Ashland could have been behind bars in Pennsylvania had he been picked up from Ohio authorities in early May.

John F. Tooson V, 32, of Rossford, Ohio, was wanted in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania — in the Philadelphia metro area — for failing to report to that county's jail to serve an 11- to 23-month prison sentence back on Aug. 31, 2021.

Tooson — who would later be accused of gunning down sisters Selina Easter and Summer Alagarakhuly on June 17 before fleeing to Toledo and attempting to take his own life — was picked up in Ironton in early May on a fugitive from justice warrant out of Pennsylvania.

The Lawrence County Jail reported that Tooson was booked on May 2, waived his extradition on May 5 and was released on May 10. When asked, a jail official said Pennsylvania authorities had until 4 p.m. to pick up Tooson, but Tooson was released at 5:05 p.m. — the official said it appeared he'd been released onto the streets, based off the times.

The Daily Independent confirmed with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday that the warrant was considered "satisfied." However, the Montgomery County Correctional Facility reported Tooson was never booked at its facility in 2022.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office stated Wednesday that it offered its "sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Selina Easter and her sister, Summer Algarakhuly, who were senselessly killed in Ashland, Kentucky last month."

"We are aware of concerns about the fugitive and extradition status of their accused killer connected to adjudicated charges and sentencing in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and Lawrence County, Ohio," the office said.

"We are conducting our own internal investigation into MCSO policy and procedures in relation to this tragedy and pledge our full cooperation with the overall investigation currently under way," the office stated, before declining to comment any further due to the investigation.

On the Ohio side of the coin, officials with the municipal court clerk's office and the Lawrence County Prosecuting Attorney's Office both confirmed that five days is the standard time Judge Kevin Waldo gives for a jurisdiction to pick up a fugitive, after they sign a waiver to be sent back.

The maximum time a fugitive from justice can be held in Ohio is 60 days, per the state code.

The underlying charges in Tooson's Pennsylvania case relate to a June 2018 arrest at a Motel 6 in Upper Merion Township. According to court documents obtained by The Daily Independent, Tooson and a woman were stopped by plainclothesman on suspicion of prostitution and drug use.

After smelling weed in the car, the two were taken into custody — the woman admitted that she was a traveling sex worker and that she and Tooson would go on tour from the Toledo area to the Philadelphia area.

A gun was also found in the trunk of the car — detectives were able to piece together that Tooson, a convicted felon, knew about the firearm.

The woman was ultimately convicted of conspiracy to commit prostitution, while Tooson was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The sex worker was sentenced to one year of probation, while Tooson faced jail time.

The Daily Independent was able to verify based off information contained in the court documents that the sex worker continued her trade following the arrest, appearing in adult classifieds in California, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., Toledo, Cincinnati, Detroit and Decatur as recently as 2021.

Chief Todd Kelley of the Ashland Police Department was asked if sex work or human trafficking was a component in the murder case presently against Tooson.

Kelley said no evidence has been uncovered showing that was a factor.

"I've not heard of that, but I am aware of the charges he had in the past," Kelley said. "We have found no evidence on that in this case and we have not submitted anything like that to the the commonwealth attorney."

Kelley did confirm that Tooson is still being held in the Toledo area, recovering from his self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"We should have a meeting later this week to find out his status," Kelley said.

(606) 326-2653 — henry@dailyindependent.com