‘Armed and dangerous’ fugitive escapes in Tyler County

Update: 8/15/2024, 6:31 p.m.

MIDDLEBOURNE, W.Va. (WBOY) — The Tyler County Sheriff’s Office has provided more information on the fugitive it says escaped from custody on Thursday.

According to a release, John Brian Shepherd appeared in Tyler County Circuit Court on Thursday in preparation for a trial scheduled to begin on Monday, Aug. 19 for the following charges:

• One charge of sexual assault in the first degree
• Eight charges of sexual abuse by a guardian
• Two counts of sexual abuse by a parent
• One count of incest

The release said Shepherd was out on bond release with the condition of home confinement and had cut his bracelet after appearing in court. Shepherd then fled in his mother’s 2016 silver Kia Sportage with a West Virginia plate reading N3W649 in an unknown direction.

Anyone with information about Shepherd’s whereabouts should contact Tyler County 911 at 304-758-2911.

Original: 8/15/2024, 5:56 p.m.

MIDDLEBOURNE, W.Va. (WBOY) — A man awaiting trial on sex charges in Tyler County has escaped from custody and is currently on the run.

According to officials with the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office, John Shepherd, 58—who was on home confinement—escaped from his residence in Middlebourne on Thursday. He was being held on charges issued in 2021 for sexual abuse by a parent, guardian or custodian, according to the West Virginia Magistrate Court’s website.

Officials with the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office said that Shepherd does not have any known connections anywhere else in West Virginia, but did say that he is considered to be armed and dangerous.

Tyler County Prosecuting Attorney D. Luke Furbee told 12 News this is not the first time Shepherd has escaped from custody. In October 2021, he escaped from the home confinement he was ordered to be on as part of the bond he posted for the same sex charges he was being held for on Thursday. His bail was revoked at the time of his escape, but it was re-issued in March 2022 at $200,000 with surety as well as the condition of home confinement.

Furbee said that in February 2022, Shepherd was indicted for felony escape, a charge that he didn’t plead guilty to until 2023. After the plea, he was sentenced to four years in prison but was credited 662 days of time served due to being in custody since Oct. 16, 2021. He was also discharged from prison a year early due to good behavior while incarcerated.

Anyone with information on Shepherd’s whereabouts should contact Tyler County 911 at 304-758-2911.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include additional information provided by Tyler County Prosecuting Attorney D. Luke Furbee.

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