Crime happened in morning, O’Dell jailed by evening

A video helped the law enforcement catch a suspected burglar just hours after the crime happened.

Early on Saturday morning, the Ironton Police Department got a call from the 800 block of Fifth Street about a possible burglary.

When officers arrived, the homeowners told them that they were missing several items, including electronic devices. They said that someone had gone through their house, cars and garage.

Then they gave officers a video of the possible suspect and after they watched, they had a good idea who the burglar might be — Phillip O’Dell, 43, of 1381 County Road 26.

“We are very familiar with him, as soon as we saw the video, we knew exactly who he was,” said Ironton Police Chief Pam Wagner. “We know Mr. O’Dell well and officers could identify him from the video. The homeowners did not know him.”

Wagner said they contacted the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation as part of department protocol for major crimes. The officers began a search for O’Dell.

Wagner said that their understanding was although O’Dell listed his address as being County Road 26, a relative’s home, he “was kind of homeless and going from residence to residence and had been staying with friends or whoever for the last couple of week.”

Wagner said they received a tip about O’Dell’s location.

“We received great information from the public that was credible that he was at a relative’s house on County Road 26,” Wagner said. “We contacted the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, since the residence is outside our city limits.”

Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department deputies and Ironton Police officers went to the location and arrested O’Dell at 7 p.m. on Saturday night.

“He was arrested with incident,” Wagner said. “We are thrilled to get information on his location that was credible.

Officers took him to the Lawrence County Jail where he was interviewed by a detective from Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and O’Dell confessed to the burglary.

O’Dell was charged with aggravated burglary and will be in the Ironton Municipal Court on Monday afternoon. He is currently incarcerated in the Lawrence County Jail.

Wagner thanked the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office and the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office for all of their assistance and the public as well.

“We cannot thank the public enough, credible information is always the basis to good police work,” Wagner said.

The case is still under investigation and anyone with information or videotape can contact the Ironton Police Department at 740-532-5606.