CIRCLEVILLE, OH — A month-long manhunt for a fugitive accused of injuring two law enforcement officers ended Thursday evening when authorities discovered him hiding in a closet at a Circleville home, sparking a violent second struggle before he was finally placed in handcuffs.
Daniel Allen Robinette, 41, faces a litany of charges including two counts of felonious assault, obstructing justice, failure to comply with the order of a peace officer, and resisting arrest.
The extensive investigation began with a chaotic encounter at the local Walmart parking lot and culminated in a tense raid at a residence on East Union Street, according to detailed incident reports released by Pickaway County Sheriff’s Deputy Omar Rubio.
The Initial Incident: Walmart Escape Leaves Deputies Injured
The sequence of events began late on Friday night, June 27, when Deputy Little and his field training officer, Sergeant McIntyre, were dispatched to the Kentucky Fried Chicken parking lot following an anonymous tip about a stolen red Chevy Cruze. The caller noted that the occupant was Robinette.
Deputies tracked the vehicle to the adjacent Walmart parking lot and approached. Robinette was initially spotted sitting in the passenger seat playing a game on his mobile phone. To evade identification, Robinette allegedly provided the deputies with his father’s name, date of birth, and social security number.
However, Sgt. McIntyre intercepted a woman nearby who identified herself as Jennifer E. Robinette, the suspect’s ex-wife. She confirmed that the man in the car was indeed Daniel Robinette and warned the sergeant that he frequently uses his father’s identity to evade law enforcement.
As Sgt. McIntyre stepped away to wait for dispatch to transmit a verification photo to his work phone, Robinette suddenly scrambled from the passenger seat into the driver’s seat and put the vehicle in motion.
Sgt. McIntyre lunged into the open driver-side door, grabbing Robinette’s arm and attempting to force the gear shifter back into park. Deputy Little simultaneously attempted to intervene from the passenger side.
Robinette slammed on the accelerator, dragging Sgt. McIntyre before the sergeant was thrown violently from the moving vehicle. Sgt. McIntyre struck his head on the asphalt, sustaining a severe laceration and concussion that resulted in heavy bleeding. He was later rushed to Berger Hospital’s emergency room for treatment. Deputy Little was struck in the forearm by the fleeing vehicle but did not require immediate hospitalization.
Robinette sped out of the shopping center northbound on Pickaway Street. In the chaos, Sgt. McIntyre’s personal cell phone fell inside the fleeing vehicle. Using a digital location tracker, deputies later located the discarded phone on the side of Eva Drive. Later that night, investigators learned Robinette had briefly stopped by his parents’ East Union Street home to pick up his 12-year-old daughter before completely disappearing.
The Capture: Hidden in a Closet
After weeks on the run, the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous tip at 5:17 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, indicating that Robinette had returned to his parents’ residence at 215 East Union Street.
Deputy Rubio coordinated an emergency tactical approach with the Circleville Police Department. Though Robinette’s mother initially told arriving officers that her son was not home, she granted permission for authorities to search the property.
Upon entering the home, Robinette’s father pointed officers toward a closed door leading upstairs. Deputy Rubio ascended the stairwell and entered a bedroom, where he discovered Robinette on all fours on the floor, attempting to conceal himself inside a closet.
Deputy Rubio held the suspect at gunpoint until a Circleville Police officer arrived upstairs as backup.
[ 215 E. UNION STREET RESIDENCE ]
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[ Mother answers door, permits search of property ]
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[ Father points authorities to closed upstairs door ]
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[ Deputy Rubio discovers Robinette on all fours hiding in a closet ]
When officers moved in to secure him, Robinette allegedly began screaming, fighting, and tucking his arms beneath his body to prevent being handcuffed. During the ensuing physical struggle, the momentum caused Robinette, Deputy Rubio, and the assisting officer to crash to the floor.
While thrashing on the ground, Robinette struck his head on the corner of a glass entertainment center, causing a puncture wound. To gain compliance from the violently resisting suspect, Deputy Rubio delivered two elbow strikes to the side of Robinette’s face, eventually pinning the suspect’s arm with his knee and securing the handcuffs.
Aftermath and Incarceration
Because of the blood on his face and an intensely manic state, emergency medical services were called to the scene. However, Robinette refused to allow EMS personnel to treat him.
He was transported by Deputy Rubio to Berger Hospital, where he repeatedly complained of chest pain and tightness, hyperventilating whenever medical staff entered the room, though flattening his breathing when left alone. Following a comprehensive medical clearance by hospital physicians, Robinette was transported to the Pickaway County Jail at 11:44 p.m.
Authorities confirmed that the entire arrest encounter was captured via an Axon body-worn camera, though the audio was temporarily muted during the hospital evaluation to protect doctor-patient privacy laws. Robinette remains held at the county jail pending his initial court appearance.
