john deere 36'' wb stuck in gear

[code green]

just picked up an older john deer 36'' walk behind with a kawi 460 on it. for some reason the mower will not shift, stays stuck in gear(pretty high gear) and cycling the shift lever does nothing. no reverse(if it has one) and worst of all no neutral which is no bueno since i load in and out of a pickup and feathering the levers is a biatch. any quick fixes or tips would be great or an idea of a price to fix it

same mower pictured here: http://worcester.craigslist.org/grd/3309287880.html