FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: |
April 9, 2008 |
April 9, 2008 Southeast Regional
Fugitive Task Force
United States Marshals Service
Inspector Katrina R. Crouse
(404) 520-1843 |
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U.S. Marshals Apprehend Atlanta Police
Department Murder Suspect |
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Atlanta, GA – On April 8, 2008,
Investigators with the U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional
Fugitive Task Force (SERFTF) working with the Atlanta Police
Department and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office in Florida
located Samuel Jackson Bell. He was arrested after a brief vehicle
pursuit with sheriff’s deputies in Lake City, Florida. Bell is the
prime suspect in the murder of Cathy Denune. Denune, age 44, was
shot and killed this past weekend at an apartment complex at 1000
Collier Road in Northeast Atlanta. Acting on information provided by
Atlanta Police, USMS SERFTF Investigators placed Bell southbound in
a vehicle on Interstate 75 in North Florida. They immediately
contacted Florida authorities and put them on alert. Within minutes,
Columbia County Sheriff’s Deputies spotted Bell and initiated a stop
of his vehicle.
The charges against Bell stem from a shooting that occurred this
past weekend at an apartment complex in Northeast Atlanta. It is
believed that Samuel Bell had a personal relationship with Denune
and that a disagreement led to the shooting. The Atlanta Police
Department had identified Bell as a suspect and contacted SERFTF
Investigators after learning that Bell had a recent warrant issued
for his arrest on a parole violation. During the course of the
investigation, USMS SERFTF Investigators learned Bell was traveling
in a dark colored 2008 Dodge Magnum and was southbound on Interstate
75 just south the Georgia border. Investigators immediately began
contacting various law enforcement agencies in the North Florida
area and provided them with a description of Bell, his charges and
his vehicle information.
At approximately 3:00 pm on Tuesday afternoon, a Columbia County
Sheriff’s Deputy spotted the Dodge Magnum south of Lake City and
attempted to stop the vehicle. The driver refused to stop and a
vehicle pursuit ensued reaching speeds in excess of 125 mph. After
approximately 10 miles, the vehicle exited the interstate at State
Road 47 and was involved in a traffic crash with a civilian vehicle.
The suspect vehicle attempted to leave the scene but was stopped by
a Columbia County Sheriff’s Deputy utilizing a controlled pit stop.
The civilian vehicle, the suspect vehicle and one Columbia County
patrol car was damaged in the pursuit. There were approximately 8 to
10 law enforcement vehicles involved in the pursuit. No one was
injured.
Columbia County authorities took Bell and the driver of the vehicle
into custody. A weapon and various drugs were also located in the
vehicle. The driver of the vehicle, Oscar Lee Joy, Jr., was arrested
by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and charged with possession
of 20 grams of marijuana, trafficking in cocaine, trafficking in
methamphetamine, trafficking in a controlled substance and resisting
law enforcement officers without violence. The sheriff’s office also
charged Bell with trafficking in cocaine while armed, trafficking in
methamphetamine while armed, aggravated fleeing and eluding and
culpable negligence. Atlanta Police Investigators traveled to
Florida soon after the arrest and have now charged Bell with murder
and aggravated assault. Both Bell and Joy are in jail in Columbia
County and they have been refused a bond on the Florida charges.
Columbia County Sheriff Bill Gootee said it best when speaking of
this capture. He stated “the proven relationship between law
enforcement agencies across county and even state lines was the key
to this successful apprehension”. More information about the pursuit
and arrest can be found at Columbia County Sheriff’s Office website
at www.columbiasheriff.com
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The U.S. Marshal’s Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERFTF)
is a team comprised of law enforcement officers from the United
States Marshals Service, as well as, 27 other local, state and
federal agencies. The task force’s objective is to seek out and
arrest the region’s most violent offenders. Since the inception of
the task force in September of 2003, the U.S. Marshals SERFTF has
closed over 12, 500 felony warrants. Annually, U.S. Marshals locate
and arrest more fugitives than all other federal law enforcement
agencies combined.
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals can be found at
http://www.usmarshals.gov .
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