A teen who ran away from home has been spotted at Carriage Hill Apartments, but Athens-area law enforcement officials are having a hard time bringing him home, according to the teen's father and the Athens County Sheriff's Office.
Nathan Zuber, 17, ran away from his Ellis Avenue home in Chauncey on Nov. 29, his father, Mike Zuber, said. Since then, Mike has been putting up posters in Chauncey and Athens that picture his son.
We've gotten so many phone calls; it's unreal
Mike Zuber said. They're all saying he's living with his girlfriend at Carriage Hill Apartments.
One such call - on Dec. 30 from a Carriage Hill Apartments employee - led an Athens County Sheriff's deputy to the apartment of 24-year-old Susan Bail, 1106 Carriage Hill Drive, according to a police report from the sheriff's office.
When Sheriff's Deputy John Morris went to the apartment to look for Nathan, he saw him, but he escaped out a side window, according to the police report.
The blind was open enough on the door where I could see in before I even opened the door Morris said. I have no doubt in my mind that it was him.
Morris said he questioned Bail and a male who was at the apartment, but both denied Nathan was there and said they had not seen him in more than a month.
There is a warrant out for Nathan's arrest, but the reason for the warrant is unclear. Mike Zuber said the warrant was issued Dec. 1 by the Athens County Juvenile Court on a charge of unruly child but the Director of Diversion Programs for Athens County Juvenile Court, Mark Rhoades, would not confirm that charge because Nathan is a juvenile. Juvenile court records are not made public.
Bail could face charges of obstruction of justice for lying to an officer, according to the Dec. 30 police report, but she currently is facing no charges.
Last week, Bail came to the sheriff's office and tried to convince me that Deputy Morris didn't see what he said he saw
Sheriff Vern Castle said. But I have no reason to doubt (Morris) whatsoever.
Castle said Bail has denied all involvement with or connection to Nathan since the department began its investigation at the end of November.
Bail declined to comment for this story.
Mike Zuber said Bail visited him at his home once in October to deny her relationship with Nathan, but Nathan later told him Bail was his girlfriend.
Susan has been questioned many
many times
but each time she denies it
Mike Zuber said.
This is the third time Nathan has run away to see Bail, Mike Zuber said. After his most recent runaway, at the beginning of November, Nathan was put on a level one juvenile diversion program through the Athens County Juvenile Court, he said.
Part of this diversion program was a court order that mandated that Nathan have no contact with Bail, Mike Zuber said.
A major reason his son is still not home is because of the debate about the case's jurisdiction, Mike Zuber said.
Because Nathan's home address is in Chauncey - not Athens - the case technically falls under the jurisdiction of the Athens County Sheriff's Office, Athens Police Department Chief Richard Mayer said.
But because the Carriage Hill address - where Mike Zuber and the sheriff's office think Nathan is living - is in Athens' city limits, Sheriff Castle said the APD should be conducting the investigation.
It's in Athens' city jurisdiction
not even the sheriff's office
he said. We're just doing what we can to help out also
but I don't know what they may be doing.
APD is not involved with the search for Nathan and is not conducting an investigation into his whereabouts, Mayer said.
Mayer said the only part that APD has played in Nathan's case was a welfare check that an APD officer conducted Dec. 30 at 1106 Carriage Hill Drive - the same night Sheriff Deputy Morris saw Nathan at that address.
The purpose of the welfare check was to make sure Nathan was OK, Mayer said.
The officers said that he was not there
and the two residents who were there said they hadn't seen him in about a month
