TROTWOOD — State parole officers wrongfully raided a man’s home in the Miami Valley.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, this happened along Hillpoint Street in a Trotwood neighborhood last week.
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Adult Parole Authority officers went into James Thompson’s backyard, put him in handcuffs, only to realize they had the wrong guy.
The parole officers didn’t fully verify they had the right guy.
Thompson is getting ready for Thanksgiving Day football.
“We just gonna be at home enjoying one another and watching the Bengals. Who Dey, baby,” Thompson said.
It’s a game that he wasn’t sure he’d be around for just a few days ago.
“I was really petrified, really scared. I thought I was, you know, wasn’t gonna see my family again,” Thompson said.
Home security video he shared shows what happened as officers swarmed his home.
“I looked out the back, two people walked in the backyard. I thought it was DP&L or AES or whatever. So I went out there to approach them and they ran up on me and said, ‘You are under arrest,’ and started trying to put handcuffs on me. And I said, ‘What am I on the arrest for?’ They said, ‘We’ve been looking for you for six months.’ And I said, ‘Well, I’ve been here for twenty-five years,’” Thompson said.
News Center 7’s John Bedell obtained the incident report from the state, which shows parole officers asked James if his name was James.
But he’s not the James E. Thompson they were looking for, a felon wanted for violating his parole.
Online state prison records show he’s dangerous and possibly armed.
He’s been out of prison since last June after robbery and breaking and entering convictions in Franklin County. He now lives in Montgomery County.
The Adult Parole Authority said the two men “share similar physical characteristics.”
“I don’t look nothing like him. Just the skin color. I don’t look nothing like the man,” Thompson said.
Thompson said he told the officers he wasn’t on parole.
One of the parole officers asked him for his birthday, which is May 1962.
Parolee James Thompson’s date of birth is April 1969.
“And that’s when they found out they didn’t have the right person,” Thompson said.
Thompson said they apologized, removed the handcuffs, and left.
Bedell reached out to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) for a statement on the incident.
“On Friday, November 21, 2025, parole officers were actively searching for a supervisee who is currently classified as a violator at large (VAL). During the search, officers followed standard protocol. They surrounded the residence of an individual who shares the same full name and middle initial as the individual who is VAL, and they share similar physical characteristics. As they knocked on the front door, an individual exited from the back. When asked if he was Mr. James, he confirmed and was briefly detained in handcuffs. Upon further questioning, he stated he was not on Adult Parole Authority supervision. A quick investigation confirmed he was not the individual we were seeking. He was in handcuffs for less than three minutes.
A supervisor and an officer immediately spoke with him at length, offering sincere apologies. The conversation was respectful and concluded with a handshake. Later that day, the individual called the APA office to file a complaint. The regional administrator personally returned his call, and while he was initially upset, they had a productive conversation, and the regional administrator again offered an apology."
— Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokesperson
“That wasn’t unfortunate to me. Do your due diligence. Do your research. Don’t just come to somebody’s house because I have the same name as somebody else,” Thompson said.
Bedell asked ODRC if there would be any sort of internal review or investigation.
“Based on a review of this event, it was determined that no further action is needed,” the spokesperson said.
At the time of writing, the ADA is still looking for its parolee, James Thompson.
In the meantime, Thompson said he’s thinking about hiring a lawyer.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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