Remembering Police Officer Gary Yost Sr.

 

Written by Autumn Yost. The Block Parole Inc. Staff contributed to this story.

My name is Autumn Yost, and I am writing this letter on behalf of my family to ask for your assistance. Once again, the individual who murdered my father is up for parole. My family will again have to go through the ordeal of reliving my father’s murder. I am asking for your help in our attempt to block the parole of my father’s murderer. It is my hope that petitions from this website will aid in the effort to keep my father’s killer in prison.

My father was an Akron, Ohio Police Officer assigned to the narcotics unit. On the night of August 23rd, 1975, Officer Gary Yost Sr. was working an extra off-duty job at Shippers Dispatch, a trucking company. He worked the extra job to help support my mom, myself, my sister and my two brothers.

While eating lunch, my father heard a strange noise in the shipping yard. He went to investigate and interrupted five thieves stealing tires from a truck inside the yard. The five thieves were stealing the tires in order to sell them to fuel their drug addictions. My father advised the thieves he was a police officer and told them to freeze. My father was then overpowered by the thieves and his gun was taken from him. One of the thieves took my father’s gun and shot him in the back. My father was left for dead in a field and the cowards fled the scene.

On the morning of August 24th, 1975, my father did not return home for breakfast. My mother called the Akron Police Department to check on him. Akron officers later found my father dead at the shipping yard. His lunch was out on a desk in a nearby office.

After an intense investigation and manhunt, Donald E. Webb, Jr., Daniel L. Teter, Wilford W. Hyde, Jr., Marion Sparrow, Jr. and Terry Achberger were arrested and charged with the death of my father. During the trial, a medical doctor (Dr. Kryiakides) made it clear my father wanted to live and did not die without a fight. The doctor stated it was obvious there was a struggle. My father’s hands were bruised, he had knife cuts on his body and there was an abrasion on his eye. The doctor also said it was a prolonged death. It is believed my father spent up to fifteen minutes crawling through weeds, bleeding to death, looking for help. The doctor also stated that had one of the men called for help, my father would have survived. It was clear whomever shot my father intended to kill him.

Donald E. Webb Jr. was eventually convicted of shooting my father. He pled guilty to murder and a life sentence to avoid the death penalty. The other individuals served only minimal sentences for their involvement in this horrible crime.

According to The Ohio Parole Board records, Webb was on parole when he murdered my father. To make matters worse, Webb has been paroled three times and our family was never notified about any of those paroles. Webb’s parole history is as follows:

• In 1998, Webb’s risk score was increased to a five out of a maximum five due to his prison behavior. He had taken almost no classes to address his criminal behavior. He did get a GED in 1997. He also took some alcoholics and narcotics anonymous classes. Those obviously did nothingm as he was disciplined several times for possessing an intoxicating substance (“Hooch”).
• Despite the facts he killed a police officer, had violated parole, received the highest risk score possible and had taken no classes to address his criminal behavior, Webb was paroled again on 11/07/2001. On 5/13/2002, Webb was brought back to prison for multiple parole violations. Those violations included possessing property belonging to another without permission (four separate violations), marijuana possession, forgery, having contact with someone who has a criminal record and possessing drug paraphernalia. After he was arrested, Donald Webb Jr. also lied to police about his identity.
• Despite the fact Webb had now twice violated parole with a multitude of violations, the Ohio Parole Board released Webb AGAIN on 6/21/2004. He was brought back once again on 11/24/2008, this time for stealing items from a Walmart, failing to keep his parole officer informed of his residence, failing to report to his parole officer, failing to report an arrest, and once again failing to comply with written sanction to have no contact with an individual with a criminal record.

We truly believe Webb was not paroled in 2009 due to all the support from law enforcement and the community.

Donald E. Webb, Jr., Inmate A563915, is currently back up for parole for the charges that arose from my father’s murder.

On August 23rd, 1975, my family’s lives changed forever. My mother lost the love of her life. My sister did not have my dad to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. My wedding will be missing my father’s strong hand and blessings also. My father was never able to see that two of his children became Tampa, Florida Police Officers and that I became a Columbus, Ohio Police Officer. There are now five grandchildren who never had the opportunity to meet their grandfather.

Donald E. Webb Jr. was given multiple opportunities to turn his life around. He has failed each and every time. While released on parole, Donald E. Webb Jr. showed no respect for himself, others, The Ohio Parole Board that granted him parole or the laws of the State of Ohio. We strongly believe due to the violent nature of Webb’s crime and his complete failure to behave while on parole, to further the interests of justice and to protect society, Donald Webb should not be paroled and serve his maximum sentence of life in prison.