By Drew Moody
For the Hur Herald
Thanks to his father and a light bond, John Manis Richards is once
again a free man.
His 36-hour stint in jail paled to about six months on the lam
fleeing two felony charges in Gilmer County and a third for failing to register as a sex offender in Wood County.
Richards bond for the two felonies was set in Gilmer County magistrate court at $15,000. Two counts of fleeing an officer were filed by Gilmer County Sheriff Mickey Metz that added another $1,500.
 However, Richards (left) has previously posted as much as $60,000 cash to
satisfy his bond, so authorities weren't surprised he made bail quickly.
Richards and another Calhoun County man, Jeremy Dilgard, age 25, were charged with breaking into the Glenville Hardman's Home Center, in July 2007. They allegedly stole building materials and tools and drove off with a $30,000 truck.
Gilmer and Calhoun County State Police were actively looking for
Richards over the weekend as well. Gilmer County's Sgt. C.M. Alton located Richards' personal vehicle just hours before Metz made the arrest.
Metz was on routine patrol and noticed a Florida car missing a tail
light. Metz said he became suspicious when the vehicle left Route 5 and pulled into the parking lot of apartments just east of town.
As the car stopped a man jumped out and Metz gave chase.
Richards ran between the buildings, climbed an embankment returning to the roadway heading west toward Glenville. Metz said Richards quickly headed over the hill toward the Little Kanawha River.
Richards lost his footing, falling and tumbled most of the way to near the edge of the river.
The suspect admitted to Metz he had outstanding warrants against him.
Richards, age 43, of Grantsville has been accused of - or convicted of numerous charges - including abduction, several indecent exposure charges, and either stealing or receiving stolen property, according to authorities.
In 2003 authorities charged him with receiving $13,000 in stolen property.
He has also been previously charged with performing sexual acts on
himself in front of a teenage girl and her mother at a Reno, Ohio car wash.
Authorities say Richards has a long criminal record spanning several
West Virginia counties, as well as various offenses in Ohio.
Richards could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted on the three felony counts against him.
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