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Local ‘cold case’ featured on A&E

It has been more than 35 years since Washington County Sheriff’s Lt. Ray “Joe” Clark was shot and killed through the window while he stood in the light of his kitchen on Dodd’s Run Road. It’s only been a little more than a year since local law enforcement and state prosecutors were able to prove that Clark was murdered by former deputy Mitchell Ruble.

The one-time cold case will now be featured on the national television show, “Cold Case Files,” on A&E.

Det. Lt. Jeff Seevers, Det. Lt. Bruce Schuck, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation detective Jon Jenkins, and Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks are among the members of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office who were interviewed for the show.

“The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has been on shows like this in the past and during their time here, everyone was very professional,” said Seevers. “Bruce and myself were interviewed along with the Ohio State Attorney General and Sheriff Mincks. It was really a neat experience.”

Ruble was found guilty in March 2016 by a jury and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the murder of Clark. The sheriff’s office believed Ruble’s termination as a deputy in 1979 provided some of his motive for the shooting on Feb. 7, 1981. Ruble was arrested in September of 2014 for the murder of Clark, who was in his late 40’s when he was killed. The arrest came after law enforcement gained the cooperation of an essential witness to the crime.

Ruble died in February at age 66 of natural causes while serving his sentence in a correction facility in Boise, Idaho.

“Cold Case Files,” one of A&E Network’s most successful series, follows the re-examination of long, unsolved crimes and the journeys of law enforcement personnel who reopened them. Each story is brought to life through dramatizations and first-person story-telling from the detectives and loved ones who lived through the actual experiences.

“The network actually reached out to us to do a story because it involved members of law enforcement and is also one of the oldest cold case homicides involving law enforcement in the United States,” said Seevers.

Schuck said the crew spent about a week interviewing them on camera in December. They went over the entire case from beginning to end.

“It’s rewarding in a sense that it’s all about Lt. Clark and his family,” said Seevers.

Seevers and Schuck were part of the formation of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office cold case unit in 2011. They, along with others, worked on the case for roughly three years.

“This has to be rewarding for Joe’s family because they finally had closure after all these years,” said Schuck. “We are just happy we were able to give Joe’s family the justice they deserved.”

The episode will air on A&E at 10 p.m. Thursday.

“It’s pretty fantastic to accompany these men with the hard work they did for justice,” said Mincks. “I’m happy to see the recognition nationally this case is receiving. It was a very intense investigation and I think the public will enjoy watching it.”

Mincks said the television crew asked questions about why they re-opened the 1981 case and final feelings about the final verdict.

“Those guys worked so hard and the public will find that factor very entertaining,” he said. “They might even learn a thing or two that they didn’t know prior to this episode airing.”

A&E Network can be found on channel 38 on CAS Cable, channel 42 on Suddenlink, channel 265 on DirecTV, channel 46 on Spectrum TV and channel 118 on DISH Network.

“I’m excited to watch the final production of what the TV crews have worked so hard on,” said Mincks. “I’m also excited to hear reaction from our residents in the county.”

At a glance

¯ The Cold Case Files episode featuring the Mitchell Ruble case and conviction will air on Thursday at 10 p.m.

¯ This is channel 38 for CAS Cable, channel 42 for Suddenlink, channel 265 for DirecTV, channel 46 on Spectrum TV and channel 118 for DISH Network.

¯ Cold Case Files is one of A&E Network’s most popular and successful series.

¯ The show chronicles the re-examination of long-unsolved crimes and the journeys of law enforcement personnel who reopened them.

Source: aetv.com

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