Remembering Police Officer Jeffrey Phegley

 

A Dream Fulfilled

On January 21, 1987, Officer Jeffrey Phegley, age 22, was barely six months into his new career with the Village of Morrow Ohio Police Department. Officer Phegley was not supposed to be working that afternoon. He had offered to fill in for Chief Dick Kilburn who needed to attended meetings in Columbus, Ohio. Officer Phegley was happy to take the shift change because it allowed him the opportunity to visit with his 89-year-old grandmother who was in the hospital.

Officer Phegley’s grandmother and the entire Phegley family was very proud of Jeff for deciding to dedicate his life to helping others. Officer Phegley had a passion for making the world a better, safer place. While in high school Jeff was actively involved with the American Red Cross, volunteered at a local hospital, and participated in the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Police Cadet Program. Jeff had always dreamed of being a police officer and he fulfilled that dream when he graduated from the Norwood Ohio Police Academy in 1986.

Officer Phegley was a dedicated police officer who was committed to protecting the community and supporting his fellow law enforcement officers. When Chief Kilburn needed someone to cover his shift Officer Phegley did not hesitate to assist him. Sadly, on that day Police Officer Jeff Phegley’s desire to help others would cost him his life. He would be the first police officer killed in Warren County Ohio in five decades.

A Deadly Encounter

Shortly after his shift began, Officer Jeffrey Phegley stopped Anthony Wayne McIntosh for speeding on a rural road. McIntosh, considered by many to be a “bad-boy”, was eight beers into his day. Local law enforcement was very familiar with McIntosh as he had been charged with several misdemeanors and a felony in the past. McIntosh kept a sawed-off shotgun under his seat. McIntosh had bought the shotgun a few months earlier and sawed off a good portion on the barrel. McIntosh showed the weapon to friends and told them, “The next time a cop stops me, I’m going to make it worth his while.”

After pulling McIntosh over and finding he was intoxicated, Officer Phegley attempted to place McIntosh under arrest. McIntosh was in no mood to get arrested. After getting out of the car, six times McIntosh refused to comply with Officer Phegley’s requests to put his hands on the car. Without warning McIntosh punched Officer Phegley in the jaw knocking him to the ground. McIntosh grabbed this shotgun and shot Officer Phegley in the chest with 158 #5 shotshell pellets. Two of the pellets stuck officer Phegley in the heart and lungs. Officer Phegley was a fighter and somehow was able to return fire. He was able to fire four rounds. Three bullets hit McIntosh’s vehicle and one bullet wounded him in the shoulder.

McIntosh fled the scene and left Officer Phegley to slowly die in the street. Officer Phegley managed to get back to his patrol car and radioed his final words, “Send a backup unit! I am shot!” He also provided the license plate number of the suspect’s vehicle. Fellow Officers arrived moments later however Office Phegley passed away by the time they arrived to help him.

Officer Phegley was survived by his parents, brother and grandparents.

A Manhunt Nabs A Cop Killer

When officers arrived on the scene, they found Officer Phegley’s citation book which had McIntosh’s name and some identifying information written on it. Authorities found McIntosh’s vehicle about ten miles away. McIntosh went to a friend’s house and told the family his car had broken down and he needed a ride to his mother’s house. The friend’s mother happened to be listening to her police scanner and knew McIntosh was wanted for shooting Officer Phegley. She went upstairs and called police. McIntosh heard the report of the call on the woman’s scanner and fled the house. Mcintosh hid in the woods for a while and then went to another friend’s house. When he was unable to reach his girlfriend to give him a ride out of state, McIntosh’s three friends convinced him to let them drive him to turn himself in. A sheriff’s deputy who was on patrol recognized McIntosh in a passing vehicle . He pulled the car over and McIntosh was arrested without incident.

After McIntosh’s arrest he called his sister and claimed Officer Phegley was shot by an unnamed stranger that he had met at a bar. What McIntosh didn’t realize was that Officer Phegley had a tape recorder running in his shirt pocket at the time of the incident. There we also witnesses who saw McIntosh alone in his vehicle. McIntosh claimed he hid the shotgun in a creek; however it was never found. Based on the evidence grand jury indicted Anthony McIntosh for Aggravated Murder of a police officer; Aggravated Murder to further the commission of an Escape; and Escape.

Murderer Gets Life Sentence

At trial McIntosh’s attorneys admitted that he fired the shotgun however now they claimed Officer Phegley was bullying McIntosh and shot him first. The evidence said differently. While the tape recorder in Officer Phegley’s pocket was destroyed by the shotgun blast the tape was able to be spliced back together. Jurors heard the seven minutes prior to the shotgun blast shattering the recorder. They heard Officer Phegley yell “hold it” and four seconds later they heard the recorder being destroyed by the shotgun blast. The recording provided no evidence that Officer Phegley fired his gun prior to being shot. In addition, the Sheriff’s Deputy who brought McIntosh to the hospital testified that when the doctor inquired as to how McIntosh got the wound, he stated, “When the cop was shooting back at me.”

McIntosh took the stand in his own defense. He continued to claim Officer Phegley shot first despite the evidence to the contrary.

Based upon overwhelming evidence a jury convicted Anthony McIntosh of murder for killing Officer Jeffrey Phegley. McIntosh escaped the death penalty only because a hold-out juror forced the others to find McIntosh guilty of Murder rather than Aggravated Murder.

Anthony Wayne McIntosh was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison plus three years for a gun specification.

McIntosh appealed his conviction several times however an appeals court and The Ohio Supreme Court upheld the convictions.

A Killer Speaks

In March 2000 Anthony Wayne McIntosh became eligible for his first parole hearing. In a very unusual move he decided to grant an interview to the Cincinnati Enquirer. It is not often that an inmate is arrogant enough to risk his possibility of parole by talking to the media. One quote was indicative of Mr. McIntosh’s complete lack of remorse and accountability for his crime. While discussing his possible denial of parole he stated, ” That’s okay with me, because I understand there are things that people expect and they want and they are vindictive. That’s not going to bring Jeff back. It’s just destroying another life.”

What he failed to mention is that while in prison the “vindictive” taxpayers have paid for his GED, paid for his heating and air conditioning maintenance courses, and have allowed him to get married to another prisoner’s female friend.