Jahson Marryshow’s Oregon arrest photo.
Jahson Marryshow’s four-year run as one of Ulster County’s most wanted fugitives ended Sunday afternoon in Eugene, Oregon when local police and U.S. Marshals caught up to him while he was playing Ultimate Frisbee in a city park.
“We’re glad to have him in custody,” said Ulster County Sheriff Paul VanBlarcum of the arrest. “We’re looking forward to getting him back here and getting this adjudicated.”
The 32-year-old former Woodstock resident is wanted for the June 30, 2010 robbery of a Bank of America branch on Mill Hill Road in Woodstock. Police believe Marryshow stole a car from Yerry Hill Road the morning of the robbery. A few hours later, police believe, he set fire to a ramshackle barn at 3651 Route 212 in Lake Hill; cops think the fire was set to draw authorities away from the center of town where, just after 9 a.m. he entered the bank disguised with ski goggles and a bandana and armed with a semi-automatic handgun. Marryshow allegedly menaced tellers with the gun before fleeing with, according to unconfirmed accounts, upwards of $20,000 in cash. The car was later found abandoned on Tanglewood Drive in Hurley two miles from the bank and not far from Marryshow’s residence on Witchtree Road.
While police investigated the robbery, Marryshow remained in town. On Sept. 26, 2010 cops say he was involved in a fight at the Cumberland Farms store on Mill Hill Road, just across the parking lot from the bank he allegedly robbed. The dispute led to an arrest warrant for misdemeanor assault. On Oct. 10, 2010 two Woodstock cops spotted him at Andy Lee Field. But before they could get the cuffs on, Marryshow broke free and escaped through the woods, then evading a manhunt that included a state police helicopter and officers from multiple agencies. It would be the last official contact between Marryshow and local law enforcement.
Police declined to say whether Marryshow was a suspect in the bank robbery at the time of the October incident. He would not be publicly identified as a suspect in the heist until November 2010, when an Ulster County grand jury handed up an indictment charging Marryshow with first-degree robbery, third-degree arson and fourth-degree grand larceny, all felonies. By that time, Marryshow had fled Woodstock. He has remained atop the Ulster County Sheriff’s “Most wanted” list ever since. VanBlarcum said that the investigation into Marryshow’s whereabouts has remained active; cops followed leads to New York City and New Orleans. The case was even featured on the A&E documentary series “Manhunters.”
“We’ve never stopped looking for him, we’ve followed a number of leads over the years,” said VanBlarcum. “Until now none of them panned out.”
Frisbee tournament
Police in Eugene say they received a tip from a citizen that Marryshow was living in Eugene. The tip led to a search by members of the Eugene Police Departments Street Crimes Team and the U.S. Marshal’s Office. Around 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14 the search led police to a park in downtown Eugene where Marryshow was arrested while participating in an Ultimate Frisbee tournament. Cops say Marryshow surrendered without incident. Marryshow was taken to the Lane County Jail where he remains pending an extradition hearing. Van Blarcum said that Marryshow was not talking to police and no details had emerged as yet about his life on the run.
A cozy long-term cell awaits this violent felon. May the due process be accurate and swift.
I’ve known Jahson for 14 years. He is not violent. When you say he is it only makes it obvious to all that do know him that you don’t.
And yet there was very little concrete evidence that he even did it. I was in Woodstock at the time and so many things don’t add up.
Being a member of the Eugene Ultimate community I found myself completely surprised when this hit the news here. I saw him at the fields the day he got picked up, waiting for his game to start. I considered asking him to pickup on my team for a game because we were short players. I have played with and against him in dozens of games, organized and not-so-organized, over the last year or so and he was always a good team mate and a terrible match up for almost anyone (I can totally believe that he would be capable of evading the manhunt described above, dude’s big and freaky fast).
He may be a violent felon like Bob declares, but if he is I don’t feel like that’s the whole picture of who he is.
Eugene ultimate player, you said it man, playing against Jahson was always a drag. We used to play twice a week in Woodstock. Had some sweet pick up games. Yeah he’s a beast.