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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
June 02, 2008

Dominic Guadagnoli,
Public Affairs Officer (850) 554-6602

 
Man Wanted for Sexual Batteries on Child Captured by Marshals Task Force in Alabama
 
Evergreen, AL - The U.S. Marshals North Florida Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested a man wanted on a warrant charging him with five counts of Sexual Battery on a Victim Under the Age of 15 and one count of Lewd and Lascivious Behavior/Molestation on a Victim 12 Years of Age. The fugitive, 65 year old Chester Lamar Palmer was arrested this morning at 10:15 in Evergreen, AL by the Marshals and Task Force Investigators from Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Escambia County Sheriff’s Offices. The Task Force, who also teamed up with Marshals of the Gulf Coast Fugitive Task Force from Mobile, AL caught up with Palmer at a small house he had been renting on Pecan Street in Evergreen. The warrant from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office charges that Palmer had allegedly had molested a young girl several times during the summer of 2003, as well as performing other lewd sexual acts of conduct during that time. Police reports indicate that the molestation took place in Chumuckla, FL where the victim had been visiting a relative for the summer.

“We had been chasing him all over the panhandle area for about a year”, said Task Force Coordinator Dominic Guadagnoli. “

When the Task Force finally caught up to him, Palmer appeared to have feigned a loss of memory and acted surprised asking why he was being arrested. After being told why Palmer replied, “…but I love kids.”

Guadagnoli stated that it was the relentless pursuit by investigators from the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office that led to Palmer’s arrest. “They would call me from time to time to see if we had caught any breaks in the case or to update us as to where they thought he might be. But it was a Task Force Investigator from the Sheriff’s Office who finally put a bead on him,” said Guadagnoli.

Palmer was originally a wanted fugitive during the Marshals 2007 Operation FALCON; a nationwide manhunt of societies worst criminals that netted approximately 70 fugitives locally and 6,400 felons around the country.

Palmer was taken into custody without incident and brought to the Conecuh County Jail by officers from the Evergreen Police Department. Palmer will remain in jail there until he is extradited back to Florida to face the charges and a bail hearing.