The woman convicted of murdering her landlord so she could hold up the Grand Ol’ Opry and meet Reba McIntire has been indicted locally.
FRASURE
The Union County Grand Jury has indicted Therisa Frasure, 47, charging her with possession of a deadly weapon under detention.
Frasure was an inmate at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, serving a 50-years to life sentence for aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary. As part of her job in the prison, Frasure was to mow the grass on a portion of the property. Union County Assistant Prosecutor Rick Rodger said it is not unusual for inmates to have jobs in the prison, but does not know how Frasure was selected for the job using a lawn mower.
Court documents allege that on Sept. 24, Frasure was mowing and allegedly pulled a metal piece of the lawn mower free. Rodger said Frasure ripped a hole in her pants, “so it wouldn’t fall out while she was mowing.”
When Frasure got back inside the prison, she went to a television room. She was seen removing the shank from her pants.
When confronted, Frasure said she found the piece while she was mowing.
“She said she was going to turn it in to her supervisor, but she never did,” Rodger said.
Frasure has been transferred to the Dayton Correctional Institution. If convicted, Frasure could face an additional 10-year prison sentence.
She is currently incarcerated because in 1995, she and her then 16-year-old girlfriend, Mincey Meece, murdered her landlord. Frasure and Meece asked 86-year-old Stella Ellison for $11 so they could take a cab to the girlfriend’s home. The landlord said ‘No’ and claimed to be evicting the woman. Frasure and Meece and then hit the landlord in the head with a clock and covered her face with a pillow.
Meece eventually told investigators she and Frasure were planning to rob another neighbor for guns and get a ride to Tennessee. She said the pair planned to rob the Grand Ole Opry and hold the patrons hostage and force officials to bring country music singer Reba McEntire to the theater so they could meet her.
Meece is currently also an inmate at the Dayton Correctional Institution, serving a 40-years to life sentence for the initial crime.
The grand jury also indicted another inmate on a similar, but unrelated charge.
RATCHFORD
The grand jury indicted Rhatita Ratchford, 42, charging her with possession of a deadly weapon under detention.
Ratchford is serving an 18-month prison sentence for attempted felonious assault and possession of drugs out of Cuyahoga County. Rodger explained that inmates are allowed to wear hooded clothes, but may not have the hoods over their heads while inside. He said that on Sept. 17, Ratchford was in a recreation area with her hood up. He said Ratchford was “repeatedly” asked to remove the hood from her head. He said the inmate refused and was dismissive of the corrections officer.
“They felt the need to go through her property, based on her interview with the officer,” Rodger said.
The property was brought to a central desk where it could be gone through. Ratchford allegedly became agitated and began threatening the corrections officers. During an inventory of Ratchford’s belongings, officers found a lock inside a sock.
Rodger said the weapon is “capable of inflicting serious physical injury or even death.”
Ratchford, who is scheduled for release in August, could face an additional 18 months in prison if convicted on the new charge.
Rodger said “sometimes prisoners do make homemade weapons and have them with them.”
He said prison officials and the Ohio State Highway Patrol take weapons inside the institution, homemade or otherwise, “very seriously.”
“They have to be able to maintain order and keep themselves and the other inmates safe, and they cannot do that if there are weapons,” Rodger said.