BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MIDDLETOWN -- Ellen Peck, accused of helping her son dispose of a Middletown-area woman's body parts, was indicted on two felony charges Friday. Ms. Peck, 46, of Middletown, had been scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Middletown Municipal Court, but that hearing was canceled after a Butler County grand jury indicted her on charges of obstructing justice and tampering with evidence. She was removed from the Middletown jail and transferred to the Butler County Jail, where she awaits a bond hearing in the county Common Pleas Court.
Authorities promised to consider reducing her current $1 million bond if her son surrenders.
Her son, James Lee Lawson, 29, of Middletown, has been declared a federal fugitive and is wanted on a murder charge in the death of Cheryl Ann Durkin, 34. Police said they think Ms. Durkin was slain around Feb. 25. Her body was dismembered with a power saw and the parts were scattered at three locations.
The case has caused intense scrutiny of Mr. Lawson's family. "(The police) have been here three times in the past eight days," Mr. Lawson's father, Emmit, said in an interview Friday at his Franklin Township farm. "How many times do they need to keep coming back?" On Sept. 1, police obtained a search warrant to go inside the house and look for James Lawson, said Butler County Sheriff's Lt. Anthony Dwyer.
On Wednesday and Thursday, police returned because they had received tips about possible sightings of Mr. Lawson's son in the area, Lt. Dwyer said.
