SWANTON — Toledo police are reviewing their own cases for possible connections following the arrest of a Delta man accused of abducting and killing a Fulton County woman.
“It would make sense from a law enforcement perspective to see if there's anything he may be related to,” said Toledo police Lt. Joe Heffernan, the department spokesman.
An aggravated murder charge was filed late this morning against James Worley, 57, in Fulton County Eastern District Court. A hearing for Worley is scheduled for Wednesday, but the location has been moved to Fulton County Common Pleas Court. The charge alleges that the murder took place ”with prior calculation and design.” A court complaint lists the date of the death from July 19-July 22.
Worley remains in the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio, where he also is being held on an abduction charge.
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Sierah Joughin, a 20-year-old University of Toledo student, was last seen Tuesday evening as she biked in rural Fulton County. Her abandoned purple bicycle was found amid trampled corn in a field off County Road 6, five miles from Worley’s house. Officials discovered what they believe is her body about 6 p.m. Friday along County Road 7.
A candlelight vigil in her memory has been scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the flatlands on the University of Toledo campus.
Worley spent three years in prison after being convicted of abduction in another case. On July 4, 1990, Robin Gardner, then 26, was bicycling along Obee Road near Whitehouse when Worley hit her bicycle from behind with his truck, knocking her from it. He then hit her on the head, dragged her to his truck, threatened to kill her, and pulled a pair of handcuffs from his glove box before she was able to fight him off. She suffered a concussion and a skull fracture, as well as several bruises and cuts.
Worley, arrested 13 days later, was indicted for kidnapping and two counts of felonious assault but ultimately entered an Alford plea — not admitting guilt — to abduction. He was found guilty and sentenced to four to 10 years in prison. He entered prison in November, 1990, and was paroled in December, 1993.
Lieutenant Heffernan said detectives are aware of the abduction conviction following the 1990 incident. They are looking to see if Worley’s involved with any other cases.
Toledo police serve on an FBI task force assisting in the investigation of Ms. Joughin's death. Lieutenant Heffernan said authorities have not linked Worley at this point to any unsolved department cases.
“A closer look into Worley's life and his past has to be done, and we're assisting the FBI with that,” he said.
John Shaffer, a Bryan attorney, confirmed today that he has been appointed to represent Worley. He met with Worley at CCNO on Saturday, he said, but declined to comment further. He said he has talked to the county prosecutor but does not know anything about the state's case against Worley.
In 2000, Worley pleaded guilty to illegal manufacture or cultivation of marijuana and having weapons while under disability, both felonies. He was sentenced by Fulton County Common Pleas Judge James Barber to two years in prison.
Those convictions resulted in his return to prison in October, 2000. Worley left in September, 2002, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
First Published July 26, 2016, 4:27 p.m.
