Toledo man exits prison after 1 year for forgery

12/10/2008

A Toledo man who formerly was a suspect in the unsolved murder of a Toledo police officer was released from prison yesterday after serving one year of a 30-month sentence for stealing money from local attorneys.

John McClellan, 65, was sentenced Dec. 18, 2007, to a total of 30 months in prison. He pleaded no contest in November, 2007, to four counts of forgery for the theft of several checks on which he forged two local attorneys names.

McClellan worked as a runner for several attorneys in downtown Toledo. The forgeries totaled $2,715.

Judge James Bates of Lucas County Common Pleas Court yesterday ordered the release of McClellan, who had no disciplinary problems while in prison, and imposed three years of community control, including paying court costs and restitution.

McClellan was charged with Officer William Miscannon s Sept. 18, 1970, murder. Two trials resulted in hung juries and the charges eventually were dismissed after an appellate court ruled that new evidence was necessary before McClellan could be tried again.