Man taken into custody in Clarion after search

From staff reports

An Ohio man was captured Wednesday morning in the Clarion area following a search that started Tuesday evening.

Clarion state police said they responded to an area of Route 322 and Old Route 322 in Clarion Township at about 8 p.m. Tuesday for a report of a man and woman at that location.

The woman, who lives in Oil City, was at the scene when police arrived and told police her boyfriend, James Ledos Cunningham, 29, of Reynoldburg, Ohio, had a gun that was reported stolen from his mother, police said.

Cunningham fled into a wooded area, and a state police SERT (Special Emergency Response Team) team was activated, police said.

Cunningham was located and taken into custody by SERT members at about 8 a.m. Wednesday, and a gun was found in his possession, police said.

He was arraigned before District Judge Duane Quinn on charges of receiving stolen property, flight to avoid apprehension and firearms violations, police said.

Cunningham was unable to post bail and was placed in the Clarion County jail.

Police said their investigation is continuing.

Clarion University’s website had reported Wednesday morning that state police notified university administration at 8:29 a.m. Wednesday that an individual had been taken into custody.

The website said there was no indication of danger to the campus community.

“Social media falsely indicates this was an act of violence,” the website said.

Clarion Area School District, Clarion County Career Center, CL/Clarion 1 and CL/Clarion 2 Head Start and Immaculate Conception School were closed for a period of time due to the incident.