JEFFERSON —
Authorities are asking for the public’s help in finding a 55-year-old Girard man charged with shooting his estranged wife Tuesday night in New Lyme Township.
Ashtabula County sheriff’s detectives and U.S. marshals are looking for Thomas J. Propst, an Iraq War veteran, who police believe shot his wife with a .45 pistol a few hours after being served with a temporary protection order, Sheriff William Johnson said in a press conference Thursday.
Propst also went to the barn and shot and killed his horse, he said.
Law enforcement learned of the incident shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday when the couple’s 18-year-old daughter made a 9-1-1 call, stating her father was in the house at 1414 Dodgeville Road and shot her mother, Johnson said.
The daughter heard her father come into the house and “felt danger,” Johnson said. She safely fled the home through a bathroom window and slipped away to the neighbor’s house, where she called for help, he said.
“It was an on-going domestic situation that escalated to homicide,” Johnson said.
Deputies and the SWAT team quickly surrounded the property, but did not locate him, he said.
Aggravated murder charges were filed Wednesday in the fatal shooting of his wife, Paulette Propst, 55, who was pronounced dead at 12:40 a.m. Wednesday at her home, according to the coroner’s office.
“He is considered armed and dangerous,” Johnson said.
Johnson said Propst has ties and family members in Mississippi, Georgia and West Virginia. Authorities believe he may have gone there, but they are asking for the public’s help in locating him.
According to Ashtabula County Common Court records, Propst moved to 14 N. Lorain Ave., Girard, when he and his wife separated in June.
According to court records, the Propsts also separated last year, and Paulette filed for divorce. The couple reconciled but then separated again in June.
On June 22, Thomas Propst was charged with two counts of domestic violence, court records show.
Paulette Propst refiled for divorce on Aug. 23, court records show.
The couple has three other grown children.
Thomas Propst was last seen driving a white Toyota pickup truck with a black cap on the bed. The license plate is Ohio BV3 8QG.
Sheriff’s deputies are searching by ground and air, using all the manpower and vehicles available to them, Johnson said. Anyone who has any information on his location should call 911.
Local News
Related Photos
-
A SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT wanted poster for murder suspect Thomas J. Propst.
-
BILL WEST / Star Beacon ASHTABULA COUNTY Sheriff William Johnson discloses a few facts during a news conference Thursday concerning the murder of Paulette Propst, 55, of New Lyme.
-
PAULETTE PROPST
Discussion
Be on the lookout for murder suspect
Husband still sought in death of wife
- Local News
-
-
LIS sixth graders participate in Outdoor Learning Day at beach
Thanks to Lakeside Intermediate School’s participation in the Waterways Adventure program, students may do more than play in the water when they go to the beach this summer.
-
Students learn about community at PV Middle School
Pymatuning Valley Middle School students got a shot of reality from a variety of different sources Friday during an all-day program designed to help understand their community and life responsibilities.
-
Holiday weekend brings sizzling start to summer
After many weeks of balmy weather, Mother Nature is poised to crank up the thermostat — just in time for the big Memorial Day holiday weekend.
-
Dragon makes history with space station docking
The private company SpaceX made history Friday with the docking of its Dragon capsule to the International Space Station, the most impressive feat yet in turning routine spaceflight over to the commercial sector.
-
Six ready to interview for Buckeye’s super job
The Buckeye Local Board of Education will conduct interviews with six superintendent hopefuls next week, said Board President Jacqueline Hillyer.
-
Casino tax cash could be arriving soon
Those rolling dice and spinning slot wheels in the new Cleveland and Toledo casinos will generate a modest jackpot for Ashtabula County, but the exact amount is anything but a sure bet, said County Auditor Roger Corlett.
-
Fire does significant damage to Lenox Township home
Firefighters from three area departments battled a smoky, early-morning blaze at 1400 Route 46 South, said Jefferson Fire Chief John Wayman.
-
Conneaut City Council studies school safety collaboration
City Council next week will consider a partnership with the local school district to embark on a new school security system.
-
Madison Township man in jail on pending drug charges
Madison Township Police Department and members of the Eastern Lake County Warrant Entry team served a search warrant at 22 Eddie Road in the Western Reserve Trailer Park early Friday morning.
-
Six ready to interview for Buckeye’s super job
The Buckeye Local Board of Education will conduct interviews with six superintendent hopefuls next week, said Board President Jacqueline Hillyer.
- More Local News Headlines
-
