Reserve Deputy John R. Sonny Litch Jr., 43, was shot and killed in Youngstown, Ohio, on October 22, 1981, while transporting a prisoner from a hospital to the Mahoning County Jail. According to accounts, Litch stopped at a traffic light and a vehicle rammed the rear of his car. When he exited to investigate, he was ambushed and shot with a sawed-off shotgun by John Glenn, identified as the prisoner’s half-brother.

The prisoner, Robert Glenn, who was on crutches, and John Glenn escaped but were caught two days later. John Glenn was initially sentenced to death; that sentence was later overturned and replaced with life imprisonment. The shooting prompted scrutiny of safety procedures for reserve deputies, with the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police calling for an investigation and concerns raised about the often unpaid, under-resourced conditions reserve deputies faced.

Who has additional details about Litch’s service or the case that could help fill gaps in the timeline?