Just after 2 p.m. Sunday, Portsmouth Police got a call that two men were stripping copper from a building in the 2200 block of Gallia Street. Officers rushed to the scene, found an open window, and—no surprise—ran into one of the city’s best-known repeat offenders: Maxwell McGuire.
McGuire, a 36-year-old homeless parole violator, was taken into custody yet again. Police also contacted Columbia Gas after noticing ripped-out lines posed a serious safety hazard. The utility arrived within 15 minutes to secure the building.
McGuire was booked into the Scioto County Jail on—you guessed it—another parole violation.
The Long Rap Sheet
If McGuire’s name sounds familiar, it’s because his arrest record reads like a Netflix series with too many seasons. Here’s the binge-worthy recap:
- Since October 2021: Eight arrests in one year, four criminal trespass charges, and multiple parole/probation violations.
- May 2023: Nabbed twice in one week at Farley Square — once for a knife-and-gun brawl in an empty apartment, then for trespassing in the same unit.
- August 2023: Arrested again after a PMHA security tip.
- November 2022: The U.S. Marshals slapped him with parole violation, counterfeit, probation violation, and escape charges. He spent 71 days in jail.
- July 2024: Pleaded guilty to grand theft auto, sentenced to a year in jail.
- December 2024: Paroled to a halfway house — and immediately violated parole again. Listed as an “offender at large” by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
And those are just the recent seasons. His “greatest hits” include:
- 2016: Prison for drug trafficking and assault
- 2015: Heroin trafficking + parole violation
- 2014: Probation violation
- 2009: Aggravated burglary and robbery
In May 2024, McGuire even managed to get busted on his birthday. Police found fentanyl in his car, but instead of a drug charge, he scored parole violation #12. (No word on whether cake was served at booking.)
Parole Violation as a Hobby?
At this point, McGuire’s string of parole violations seems less like a punishment and more like a pastime. Time and again, he’s arrested, processed, and back on the streets — with little consequence.
Where’s the Partner?
Police say McGuire wasn’t working alone in Sunday’s copper theft. Officers followed up on a tip that his alleged accomplice was hiding at the homeless camp under the Young Street Viaduct. But when they searched, the man was nowhere to be found.
